Old Friends with New Beginnings
by JeanGreyRocks
Summary: Are Scott and Jean meant to be? Another look at how JeanDuncan turns JOTT with a large helping of miscommunication, two servings of angst, and a sprinkle of humor. Major appearances by the original Evolution team. COMPLETE!
1. The Stage is Set

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Chapter 1: The Stage is Set**

**Story Summary: Jean is dating Duncan and helping him deal with his personal issues. Trouble ensues, hurting their relationship. Scott questions whether now is the time to confess his true feelings or not.**

**A/N: A HUGE thank you must go out to my sister, who was an excellent beta that accepts the geek in me regarding all things JOTT.**

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

As Jean was struggling to create a wooden birdhouse for shop class, she was convinced she was destined to fail the project. She followed the directions precisely – at least, she thought she did. But she still couldn't manage to get the rectangular box to form right angles. 'Why is this course even required?' Jean thought to herself. Another science or math class would have been much more appealing in her eyes.

"I give up. I'm going to have to ask Scott for help." Jean announced to no one in particular. All her other classmates had already built their birdhouses and were now on the opposite side of the large room painting them. Jean knew Scott was really good at building things, so he was the obvious choice in such a situation.

At her declaration of defeat, the final bell rang. The teacher reminded all students to hand in their completed birdhouses by the start of class on Monday. 'At least I have the weekend to bribe Scott into helping me.'

xxxxx

On the way to Scott's car to meet the X-Men for a ride home, she ran into her boyfriend Duncan Matthews.

"Hey, Jean."

"Oh. Hi, Duncan. I have to run and meet Scott and the gang to head home, but you're welcome to walk with me so we can chat." With that, Duncan slid into step beside her.

She'd been dating the varsity football quarterback for a few weeks now and they were what the rest of the school considered 'going steady,' although Jean and Duncan had never officially discussed the matter. Few girls in school could argue his good looks, which had been what first attracted Jean. But as far as Jean was concerned, they were at the stage of the relationship where they were still getting to know each other.

"Let me give you a hand with that," Duncan said as he took Jean's birdhouse materials out of her arms.

"Thank you. So how was your day?" Jean probed as they continued walking to the parking lot.

"Good. You should have been in my lunch period today when Johnny laughed so hard he had soda coming out his nose!" Duncan laughed as he recalled the event.

"Somehow I'm not sorry I missed that one," Jean smirked.

As they approached Scott's car and Duncan continued rambling about his day, Jean noticed Kurt, Kitty, Rogue, and Scott were already piled in and ready to go. Evan was staying after school for some pre-basketball season training. The parking lot was buzzing with students hurriedly getting into their cars. Everyone was anxious to get home on a Friday afternoon and start their weekends.

Suddenly, and with a serious tone, Duncan turned to Jean and said, "So, I wanted to talk to you more, but I have to run to football practice. I was hoping I could come over to your place this evening. How's right after dinner sound?"

Jean was taken back by Duncan's invitation of himself to the Institute and found herself saying okay before realizing it. Professor X didn't like unexpected guests at the mansion for fear of their secret being revealed.

To compensate for her blunder, Jean quickly added, "We can take a walk around the gardens and enjoy them one last time before winter arrives." Jean figured the professor would be okay with that as long as they avoided spending significant amounts of time inside the mansion.

"Okay, great," Duncan stated as they reached Scott's car. He greeted Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue in the backseat with a nod, then turned to Scott and said, "Summers."

Duncan knew Scott disliked him, he just didn't know exactly why. The only justification Duncan could muster was he was popular and had an attractive girlfriend, while Scott was aloof and alone. He knew Scott and Jean were friends, and he was sometimes jealous of the bond they obviously shared with each other. Sometimes he thought Scott must have a thing for Jean, but he tried to downplay such thoughts. He knew Jean would never cheat on him. She wasn't that kind of girl. However, he couldn't say he trusted Scott.

Scott sensed the tension in Duncan's greeting and returned it with an equally terse, "Matthews."

Jean also sensed the tension between Scott and Duncan, but she didn't understand why they held such strong grudges against each other. They didn't even know each other that well. In an effort to avoid further awkwardness, Jean quickly got in the front seat. Duncan gave her the birdhouse materials back then kissed her quickly on the lips. Kurt and Rogue exchanged looks, while Kitty tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle. Scott tightly gripped the steering wheel and said, "Let's go," shifting the car into drive.

"See you later tonight, Jean," Duncan shouted as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Scott strongly detested Duncan. He disliked him not only because he didn't think Duncan was good enough for Jean, but also because Scott was envious. It had been love at first sight for Scott ever since he first met Jean, and times like these when he saw Duncan lay a hand, or worse yet lips, on her made him furious at himself for never speaking up about his true feelings towards her.

But, Jean was his best friend and he wasn't going to risk losing that by saying straight out he didn't like Duncan. Scott respected Jean too much to tell her what to do, but he certainly wasn't going to go out of his way to be nice to the guy.

Once Duncan was out of earshot, Kitty gave her unsolicited two cents. "Jean, I can't believe Duncan is coming over tonight! He's, like, such a hottie."

"Yeah, hot like a magpie in the July sun," Rogue retorted.

Jean couldn't help but laugh at Rogue's comment about her boyfriend, but she directed her comment at Kitty. "He's not too hard to look at. I'll give you that, Kitty."

Scott made an effort to reroute the subject. "Kind of weird how he invited himself over, though. You don't think he suspects anything about us, do you?" directing the question to Jean.

"No, no," Jean quickly replied.

Jean knew why Duncan wanted to see her. He had been having trouble at home lately. Apparently his older brother George was an all-star, Division I college football player, and Duncan had been feeling the pressure from his father to match George's football performance. Nobody else knew of Duncan's family pressures, but he felt comfortable enough to share them with Jean. He'd asked Jean not to say anything to anyone else. Jean intended to keep that promise, so she didn't divulge any details to her teammates.

The rest of the car ride home was consumed by Kitty's complaints about the unfairness of freshmen being excluded from auditioning for the school musical. Jean and Scott rode in silence until pulling into the mansion's garage. As the others were heading into the mansion, Jean grabbed all her school stuff and remembered her shop class assignment.

"Hey, Scott," Jean called after him.

Scott turned around to face Jean. "Yeah, what's up?" Scott was still thinking about the way Duncan had so nonchalantly kissed Jean. Although he was upset at Duncan, he surely wasn't going to take that anger out on Jean. He figured he'd save it for later in the Danger Room.

"I was hoping to bribe you for a favor."

"Oh," he replied, his interest peaked. "What's the favor?"

"I have a birdhouse to make for shop class due Monday, and I just can't get it to fit together properly. You've always been good with your hands. Would you mind helping me out?"

Scott smiled because he knew he wouldn't have a problem assisting her. Plus, he'd be guaranteed some private time with her this weekend, which was always a bonus. "Sure, no problem. I'm free Saturday afternoon after Danger Room training. We can do it then, assuming I survive training with Logan," he smiled.

Jean laughed. "Great! I definitely owe you one." Jean was grateful for Scott's willingness to assist her in what he must have considered a simple task. "What do you want as your bribe?" she smirked.

"Oh, I'll think of something and let you know. Don't worry," Scott said with a grin as he headed into the mansion.

xxxxx

**Feedback please! I promise JOTT is definitely to come, but I thought Duncan needed more depth to prove Jean wasn't a moron for dating him. I'm seeing about 9 chapters at this point.**


	2. Harmless Game of PingPong

**Chapter 2: Harmless Game of Ping-Pong**

**A/N: The JOTT is coming and the true Duncan is about to be revealed. Don't worry! Enjoy. Also, another big thanks to my sister the beta.**

"**Spoken"**

**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

Jean knew she should approach Professor X about Duncan's visit this evening before he actually arrived. She met him at the dinner table before the others had a chance to sit down, since she thought it best to inform him in private.

"Professor, I have something to tell you," Jean said timidly as she approached the man who'd been more like a father to her during her teenage years than her biological one.

"What is it, Jean?" he asked his young ward, sensing she was troubled.

"Well, Duncan sort of invited himself over after dinner tonight….I didn't know what to say….anyways, he'll be here sometime after dinner." Jean avoided eye contact with him because she expected the comment that was to follow.

Obviously displeased, the Professor commented, "As you know, I do not condone unexpected visitors to the Institute. They may discover we're mutants and use that knowledge against us." He paused and reflected their alternatives. "However, it would be quite impossible to uninvite the boy now."

"I know, Professor. I'm sorry…it all just happened so quickly. But I did tell him we'd walk around the garden. I figure I can keep him out of the mansion."

"A suitable compromise, indeed. I will inform the others over dinner that they should expect a visitor and tone down any...shall we say...uncanny antics this evening."

xxxxx

It was a rare Friday night dinner since everyone was home, teachers and students alike. However, like most family dinners, it was a mishmash of conversation and face stuffing.

As dinner came to a close, Jean excused herself from the table to freshen up before Duncan's arrival any minute. Once Jean left the room, the others began to excuse themselves too.

"Scott, are you ready to take on the fuzzy one in a game of ping-pong?" Kurt asked. He had challenged Scott to a game earlier, but they were interrupted by dinner.

"Oh yes! You are going down, my friend." Scott joked back. Kurt and Scott exited the room, both convinced they were going to win the ping-pong challenge.

"Wait up, guys. I have winner!" Evan shouted as he ran out of the room to follow Kurt and Scott.

"Hey, y'all better get bahck h're and clear ya plates!" Rogue yelled to the boys who in such a rush to get to their game, forgot all about their dishes. "Cause Ah 'm not doin' it for 'em," she added in a softer tone once she realized the boys were out of earshot. She gathered her own plate and exited the dining room.

"I am so going to paint my nails for my, like, big date with Lance tomorrow," Kitty stated as she was about to exit the room.

"Hold up, girly," Logan said. "It's your night to do the dishes." Kitty met his comment with a pout. "Don't think you can, _like_, wiggle out of them either," he added in a mocking tone. Logan motioned with his thumb for Kitty to follow him into the kitchen. She dutifully followed, obviously unhappy with her chore.

Turning to Ororo, Charles said, "Looks like we're all settled for a quiet evening." Ororo confirmed his statement with a smile.

xxxxx

Shortly thereafter, in the recreation room, the Scott vs. Kurt battle for ping-pong domination was quickly mounting. It was currently a tie game with the game winning point up for Scott's taking if only he could sink his last serve.

"Oh man, Scott. If you win this point, man, you totally win!" Evan noted with excitement. Even though he was just watching, he was really into the game.

"There is no way he can get the ball passed my defenses!" Kurt declared as he threw his paddle into the air and caught it with his tail. He then modeled how quickly he could swing the paddle with his tail and strike back against any serve Scott sent his way. Scott and Evan laughed at his antics until they heard the doorbell chime.

Even in her bedroom, Jean heard the doorbell and sent a quick thought to Scott. _I'm not ready yet, please tell Duncan I'll be down in a minute_.

_What do I do with him?_ Scott projected to Jean.

She replied, _I don't care. Entertain him maybe?_ Jean commented with a hint of sarcasm, closing her psi-connection with him and considering the discussion closed.

Scott was not happy with the whole situation of Duncan visiting the mansion. As field leader of the X-Men he felt it is an unnecessary risk to invite him into their home. On a more personal note, he didn't like the idea of Jean spending time with Duncan, especially in what Scott considered his home. He didn't know what Jean saw in him and was convinced he must present a different persona to her. The Jean he knew would never fall for a guy as arrogant and egotistical as Duncan.

Fighting his dislike, Scott did what he knows best and attempted to regain control of the situation. "That must be Duncan. Kurt, switch on your image inducer. We don't want Duncan to learn anything about the true nature of the Institute."

"You got it." Kurt turned on his image inducer using the 'watch' on his wrist. He quickly changed from blue and furry to a seemingly average looking young man.

With his words, Scott walked to the front door, looked back to make sure Kurt's image inducer was working, and then opened the door to greet Duncan.

Duncan was surprised to see Scott, as he was expecting Jean, and tried to hide his surprise. Scott noticed and smiled.

"Hello, Duncan. Come on in." Scott motioned with his hand for Duncan to enter.

Duncan crossed the threshold and asked, "Where's Jean?"

"She's upstairs finishing getting ready. She'll be down in a minute."

"No hot date for tonight, Scott? No surprise really. None of the girls at school will even talk to you, except your Institute friends." Duncan sat himself on the recreation room couch with one arm across the couch's back and one leg resting on the other knee.

Duncan just left home where he had another run in with his father, and he was itching for a fight. He figured Scott was a good target for his anger, since he really didn't like or trust the guy anyway. 'He doesn't think I notice the way he stares at Jean on the soccer field. He may think those shades hide his eyes, but I notice.'

Kurt and Evan stare at Scott, waiting for their leader's reaction to such a declaration. "None of the other girls interest me," Scott replied with a shrug, choosing to leave out that the only girl who he has feelings for is Duncan's girlfriend, Jean. Trying to ignore Duncan's rudeness, Scott added, "So I'd much rather spend my time here kicking people's butts at ping-pong."

Kurt took the hint. "Okay, let's finish this game. Your serve, Scott."

"You mean my game winning serve, Kurt. Prepare to go down in flames," Scott said with a grin.

With that, Scott served quickly to the opposite quadrant, hoping to serve faster than Kurt's reflexes could react. Scott forgot Kurt's reflexes are almost unmatchable, and he quickly returned the serve with equal force. They volleyed back in forth a few times, trying with each hit to smash the ball harder than before, to no avail.

Scott finally decided to change tactics by adding some spin to the ball and hit it just over the net. Kurt jumped to reach for it, but misjudged the spin. He made contact with the ball, but it shot sharply to the right and away from the table, landing on the floor by Duncan's feet.

"Ooh, I can't believe I did that!" Kurt said, slamming the palm of his hand to his forehead.

"Dang, Scott, you played a mean game. Good job." Evan gave Scott a friendly pat on the back.

Duncan picked up the ping-pong ball by his foot and said, "Not bad, Summers, but you couldn't hold a candle to my ping-pong skills." He then tossed the ball at Scott's head, which he caught with ease.

Scott realized Duncan meant this as a challenge, and he was not about to back down. "Would you like to put those skills to the test?"

"Oh, you're on, Summers." Duncan rose from his seat and grabbed Kurt's paddle, shoving him out of the way.

"Hey, watch out for the little guy!" Kurt said. Duncan ignored his comment, deciding instead to focus on teaching Summers a thing or two.

The two volleyed, and Duncan won the serve. It was obvious from the start that both Duncan and Scott were evenly matched. The game quickly turned to fierce serves with spins and speeds galore. Kurt and Evan stood back in awe of the demonstration before them.

Duncan rapidly picked up several points and was leading Scott by five. Scott began to realize Duncan took this game much more seriously than just a game of ping-pong. Duncan meant war, and if he meant war, then Scott planned on giving it to him.

When it was finally Scott's turn to serve again, he picked up his play to include rarely used backwards spins that threw Duncan for a loop. Over time, Scott gained the lead and changed his serve again in hopes of keeping his lead. Both boys were sweating with the exertion they were applying to the game.

With a final, powerful serve to the outside corner, Scott served his game winning serve that Duncan missed by a landslide. In the process of reaching for the ball and missing Duncan lunged and landed prone on the floor. Angry at himself for missing the game winning serve, he picked himself up with his arms and threw his paddle to the ground.

Once he lifted himself to his feet, Duncan got in Scott's face and said, "This isn't over, Shades."

Noting the challenge, Scott replied, "Anytime...anywhere, Matthews."

At that moment, Jean entered the room. The scene clearly illustrated the tension between Scott and Duncan, and she aimed to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible.

She walked over to Duncan and put her arm under his, beginning to lead him to the front door. "Hi, Duncan. Thanks for waiting for me." She couldn't help wondering why those boys hated each other so much. Maybe she'd bring up the subject with Scott tomorrow while they built her birdhouse.

As they exited, Jean turned to close the door and said to Scott, Kurt, and Evan, "Thank you for entertaining Duncan. Enjoy your evening, boys." The door clicked behind her.

Once they left, Evan stated, "What a jerk."

"But you showed him with your display of ping-pong awesomeness!" Kurt claimed. "Great job, Scott. Watching Duncan lose takes some of the sting away from my loss."

"Yeah, he better never be such a jerk to Jean," Scott concluded. He couldn't help but ask himself, 'What does Jean see in him, anyway?'

xxxxx

**Thoughts? Feedback? I'm as addicted to feedback as I am coffee! Please feed my addiction!! **


	3. A New Crush Develops

**Chapter 3: A New Crush Develops**

**A/N: A million thank yous to those who have already provided feedback on previous chapters. Also, thanks again to my beta sister! **

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

The days were still warm, but the evening air was cool and crisp, making it obvious that winter was quickly approaching. Jean pulled her jacket closer around her body to keep the cool air from reaching her skin. She and Duncan had just stepped out of the mansion where Jean was convinced Scott and Duncan had had the equivalent of a pissing contest over a game of ping-pong. 'Boys could be such macho-manly-men sometimes,' Jean thought.

As they headed towards the side garden to talk, as Duncan had requested earlier this afternoon, Jean asked what happened inside.

Duncan replied with a question. "What's Scott's problem?"

"Scott? What did he do?" Jean was confused. Scott was known for keeping his cool in stressful situations. If not, the Professor would never have asked him to be the field leader of their team. She couldn't imagine Duncan creating a more stressful environment than Magneto. She actually chuckled at the thought.

Duncan didn't notice Jean's amusement, as he was too busy bashing Scott. Jean tuned back into Duncan's rant to hear, "The guy has an attitude problem. Where does he get off thinking he's a dictator? He doesn't control me. I control me. I'm the master of my own universe! Scott's not as liked as I am. I'm popular. This guy," pointing towards the mansion, "is mad at me that he has no social life outside all the freaks here at this Institute."

"Hey, I'm one of those 'freaks'!" Jean exclaimed, annoyed at Duncan for taking his anger out on her. She knew from experience Duncan was transferring his anger at his father to others. Duncan never really knew how to handle his father's constant criticism and the pressure to excel in football. Duncan found solace in Jean's listening ear, but she was not about to have Duncan insult her, and more importantly, her friends.

Jean's exclamation appeared to pull Duncan out of his rant and a bit more into reality. He focused his attention on Jean by stopping their walk and turning to look her in the eyes. "Of course, you're not a freak, Jean."

Although still annoyed, Jean met his gaze to emphasize her seriousness. "And neither are my friends." She was attempting to diffuse Duncan's anger with a soft tone. "You just don't know them that well. I'm sure if you only got to know them better you'd like them. We all have…umm…unique characteristics, but it only adds to our charm," she ended with a smile.

Duncan huffed in response. "I don't know about that. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." He leaned in for a kiss, but Jean wasn't ready for a physical connection with him yet. She could curb her outward display of annoyance, but not her feelings. Jean could never share an intimate moment with anyone without first connecting with him on an emotional level.

To avoid the kiss, just as Duncan was about to plant his lips on top of hers, Jean blurted out a spontaneous idea. If Duncan doesn't know her friends well enough to like them, then they need to spend more time together.

"Duncan, I have an idea! Why don't you come on a picnic with my friends and me?"

Surprised by Jean's sudden outburst, Duncan clumsily kissed Jean's cheek. Pulling away, he said, "I don't think that would be a great idea."

Jean disagreed. "I think it is. You don't know my friends…they don't know you. We could have some food, play some games, it will be fun!"

Duncan could tell this picnic was important to Jean, so he finally gave in by shrugging his shoulders and saying, "Sure."

"Great! Let's have it the day after tomorrow – that's Sunday, and the weather should still be warm enough for one last BBQ. We'll meet you at the lake about 5 miles down the road."

The more Jean thought about it, the better the idea sounded. She only had to get the others at the Institute to agree to her outing. But, she figured her promise of chocolate chip cookies would entice most of them. Scott might be the hardest sell, but Jean would find a way. If Jean could come up with a logical enough argument, she was sure she could convince him.

As Duncan and Jean continued their walk, Duncan shared yet another story of his father telling him to step up his high school game if he wanted to ever play college ball. Jean listened and offered comfort, knowing that was exactly what Duncan needed.

xxxxx

The following day was Saturday, when Jean and Scott had scheduled to build Jean's birdhouse for shop class. As promised, after Danger Room training with Logan, Scott tracked down Jean to help her out. He found her in the weight room completing her own daily workout, personally designed by the Professor.

Every student was assigned a schedule consisting of individual and team Danger Room training with Logan, weight training with Hank, and yoga with Ororo. As needed, time was allocated with the Professor himself to deal with individual mutant power development.

Jean had just completed all her weight training and was finishing up with sit-ups. Hank had his hands on her feet to keep her steady.

"…28, 29, 30. Good job. Rest for a minute, then we'll begin another rep," Hank encouraged as he got up to record her workout stats on a nearby clipboard.

Jean was sweating from her workout and was happy for a break, even if it was only a few seconds long. As she picked up her water bottle using her telekinetic powers for a quick drink, she noticed Scott enter the weight room. He had obviously completed his Danger Room training and was looking for her to finish the birdhouse. Scott caught her eye and smiled. His smile broke Jean's concentration, causing the bottle to fall to the ground. Jean's cheeks flushed, but this time not as a result of her workout.

For a moment Scott thought Jean may have lost her concentration because of his presence, but dismissed the idea when he remembered Duncan. 'She was probably thinking about that arrogant Duncan character,' he thought.

As Scott began walking towards her, his thoughts turned to how beautiful Jean looked. She had on tight athletic pants on a blue tank top. It was obvious she'd worked out hard today, as the sweat on her skin appeared to glisten. Her hair was pulled in a ponytail to keep it out of her face, but was slowing coming undone thanks to all her activity.

Scott was sure Jean considered herself a mess, as she would never leave the house looking as she did now. To Scott she was always stunning. However, Scott kept his thoughts to himself and shielded them from Jean.

"Hey, Jean. I'm ready whenever you are to work on your birdhouse."

"Great! I have just a few more reps to go, then I'm done."

"I'll wait for you here, if you'd like?" Scott asked.

"Sure, have a seat," Jean offered. Scott sat down next to Jean, matching her position by placing his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his hands for support.

As Scott sat down, Hank returned. "Okay, Jean. Let's try for 50 sit-ups this time." He moved to grab a hold of her feet again. Jean's response was a groan.

"I'll do that if you'd like, Professor McCoy," Scott offered. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to touch Jean. Putting his knees on her feet and resting his hands on her knees, he asked her if his positioning was alright. Realizing the unintentional double entendre, Scott's mind wanders to some other positions he'd like to try with Jean.

"Perfect," Jean responded, almost in a whisper. Scott's hands were warm on her legs, making butterflies dance in her stomach. From his hands, Jean could sense strength and support.

'Scott's touch really does feel perfect,' Jean thought. 'I wonder why I never sensed it before? We've touched a million times, but I've never felt such a connection. Duncan and I definitely don't have anything like this. Is that a good thing or bad thing?'

To Scott, this slight contact made him curse himself for never having the courage to ask Jean out. 'Now that she's with Duncan, I don't have the opportunity to correct my mistake. Will I ever have the opportunity to hold Jean in my arms and tell her I love her?'

Jean tried to refocus on her abs as her sit-up count neared 25, but she couldn't help being pulled back to thoughts of Scott. 'Scott's my best friend. Could I really like him as more than a friend?'

Scott continued counting out loud for Jean, but like her, his thoughts were inward. 'If Jean even was available, would I have the courage to ask her out?' he wondered.

Once the count reached 40, Jean's thoughts turned, 'Oh my, Scott's touching me! And it feels good! I have a boyfriend! What am I thinking? Jean, stop!' she directed herself. 'No more thinking of Scott. You have Duncan. Control yourself and your raging hormones.'

Jean quickly finished her last few sit-ups to extinguish the physical connection between them as soon as possible. "Okay, all done. Thanks for your help, Scott." She quickly got to her feet.

"Uh, anytime, Jean," he responded wondering why she seemed so eager to get away from him.

Jean knew Scott's statement was true on more than one level. Scott was her unconditional support system, always there for her when she needed it. It was one of her favorite parts of their friendship.

"I'll meet you in fifteen at the garage with my birdhouse materials?" she inquired.

"You got it." Scott replied, still sitting on the mat looking up at Jean.

As she headed into the locker room to shower, she kept repeating to herself her newly adopted mantra: 'It's only a crush.'

xxxxx

**Finally the fun JOTT begins. Please send feedback. Do you like it? Hate it? Tell me! I need to know!!**


	4. Going on a Picnic

**Chapter 4: Going on a Picnic**

**Disclaimer: I never remember these, but obviously I don't own the X-Men, much to my chagrin. **

**A/N: Please R&R afterwards! As always, thanks to my beta.**

**"Spoken"**

**'Thoughts'**

**_Telepathy_ **

xxxxx

Once Jean was showered and considered herself presentable, she met Scott to work on her birdhouse. He was already here getting out the tools they'd need to complete the project.

"Thanks again for your help," she said as she placed her materials on the workshop table.

After touching Jean a few minutes ago, he could think of nothing else but when he'd have the opportunity again. To avoid increasing such a desire, he kept his gaze down and hands busy with the tools.

"No problem. It shouldn't take us long. Just a few nails, some strategically placed glue, a coat of paint, and you'll be all set," finally lifting his gaze to hers, he smiled.

"Wonderful," she smiled back.

They worked together for several minutes with conversation limited to instructions. Scott showed her out to fit all the pieces and nail them together. Jean internally noted how they made a good team, and credited it to Scott's gentle direction and support.

'Scott's friendship is so important to me,' Jean thought. 'He's responsible for me even staying at the mansion as long as I have. I was so frightened of this place when I first arrived – thinking my parents had abandoned me here, ashamed of my mutant abilities. It was Scott who became my friend. He offered me a bond I so greatly craved – needed really.'

Shortly thereafter, the birdhouse was made and ready to paint. Jean took out the white paint and brushed it all over the birdhouse.

Scott stood back and watched. 'She's a fast learner,' he thought as his mind drifted. 'A beautiful and sexy one at that…one I can't wait to touch again." Catching himself, he modified his thoughts, 'Ugh, Scott – control yourself. She's seeing Duncan. You missed your opportunity, so deal with it.'

As she was painting, Jean remembered she wanted to talk to Scott about attending tomorrow's picnic with Duncan. But, before she did that, she wanted his version of what happened last night over ping-pong.

"So, Scott, I was meaning to ask you what happened with you and Duncan last night. You both seemed kinda heated when I came in the room." Jean never took her eyes off her work.

Wanting to downplay the situation for Jean's benefit, Scott said, "We played each other in ping-pong, and we were both a bit more into it than we should have been. No big deal."

"Good, because I want you and Duncan to get along. He is my boyfriend," was she reminding Scott or herself, she wondered, "and I want my friends and boyfriend to like each other."

"I can't make him like me, Jean." 'Nor do I want to like him,' Scott thought, keeping this particular comment to himself.

"I know that. Just like I can't make you like him or be his friend. But I do want you both to try. Would you be willing to do that?" she asked with pleading eyes.

"For you, of course." It wasn't going to be an enjoyable experience, but Scott could never refuse her hopeful, puppy dog eyes.

"Thank you," she smirked. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Scott knew he was in for trouble with the smirk she sent him…he just wasn't sure what form it would take yet. Until…

"I was hoping," she continued, "you'd be willing to join Duncan, Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, Evan, and me for a picnic tomorrow at the lake. I want Duncan to get to know you all, especially you, since you're my best friend."

Jean was hoping flattery would get her what she wanted, plus she had him already agree that trying to be Duncan's friend was a reasonable request. Sound logic always seemed to work on Scott, and it never hurt to throw in some flattery for good measure.

Scott pondered the thought. 'Spending an afternoon with Duncan and Jean together is not one of my top priorities. In fact, I could go a lifetime without seeing Duncan touching Jean – or even looking at her for that matter. Somehow I'll have to find it within myself to be friendly towards the guy, if for no other reason than Jean wants me to. Can I do that?'

After a pause, Scott replied, "Count me in."

"Great!" Jean was delighted. "Let's head to the recreation room and watch a movie while this paint dries."

"Okay."

They begin to walk inside together, when Scott says, "Oh and, Jean, I haven't forgotten you owe me for helping you today."

"Of course," Jean said, mockingly bowing to him. "Anything you wish, for my GPA is eternally indebted to you."

They both laughed at her corny joke.

After a brief moment, "What did you decide?" she questioned.

"I have a few ideas, but I'm going to save it for a rainy day." Maybe Scott would be able to use his bribe to get more alone time with Jean. It seemed the only time they spent together, outside of today's birdhouse building, was also spent with the team. He knew was foolish to think so, but maybe he could show Jean she deserved a better man…one nicer, more supportive, more caring, more like…himself. He grinned at the thought.

"That's so like you, Scott," she laughed. "Strategizing and planning for the future."

'You have no idea,' Scott thought, but all Jean could see was his smile.

xxxxx

"Jean, I can't believe you, like, talked Duncan into spending time with us. You'd never see him hanging out with us at school," Kitty said.

Scott was driving the X-Van to the lake for the picnic Jean had planned for them. Jean had grabbed her usual seat up front beside Scott while Kurt, Evan, Kitty, and Rogue had the two rows of back seats.

The picnic was designed so Duncan would get to know her friends better. The lake was a great neutral location for such an event. Jean just hoped their picnic would be drama-free, unlike Friday night's ping-pong game.

"Duncan just doesn't know you, Kitty. That's what we're going to fix today," Jean said.

Evan jumped in the conversation. "Dude, I don't know. I've seen Duncan bullying one too many freshmen on the football field for my taste."

"Please, guys, at least give Duncan a chance today. Remember you don't really know Duncan any better than he knows you." Jean felt like she was almost begging for their cooperation. "I'm not asking you all to become best friends. Just be nice, okay?"

From throughout the van came a number of grumbles Jean accepted as agreements.

"Ah'll give him a fightin' chance," Rogue said. "But ah cain't lie 'bout bein' 'ere to watch this train wreck."

A few chuckles could be heard throughout the van. 'So glad to see they're optimistic,' Jean thought sarcastically. 'Lovely.'

Scott looked over to see Jean's facial expression. Seeing her nervousness, he reached out and gave her hand a friendly squeeze in reassurance that all would work out today.

_Thanks, I needed that, _Jean sent him telepathically.

Scott pulled into the park by the lake to find Duncan had already arrived. He was standing next to his car, checking his reflection in his driver's side mirror. The X-Van parked right beside him, so as Jean opened the passenger side door, Duncan greeted her.

"Hey there, pretty lady." Duncan grinned as he pulled Jean into his embrace for a kiss.

Duncan held the kiss a bit longer than needed for personal satisfaction, but also to send a signal to anyone watching, namely Scott, than Jean was his. Afterwards, Jean felt awkward. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this kiss particularly didn't feel right. She'd been more aroused yesterday by Scott just placing a hand on her – Duncan's kiss gave no such spark. 'Oh God, what does that mean?' Jean wondered. However, she quickly shrugged the feeling. 'I don't have time to analyze it now.'

"Eww, gross. Get meh outta 'ere." Rogue pushed her way out of the van and towards the lake to avoid further viewing of Jean and Duncan's public displays of affection.

Evan grabbed his skateboard and got out of the van. "I bet I can beat you guys to the lake." He quickly took off on his skateboard.

"Hey, no fair!" Kurt yelled after him. He knew he could easily beat Evan if only he could use his mutant teleportation power, but such use was strictly off limits outside mansion grounds or missions. He and Kitty chased after Evan in vain.

"Well, so much for introductions," Jean commented.

"It's alright. I know all their names already," Duncan pointed out. "I've seen them around school. I just wouldn't…I mean, we just don't hang out."

Duncan wasn't looking forward to getting to know them anyway. All he really wanted was to sneak off with Jean into the nearby woods for a make-out session, or if he was really lucky – something a bit more, but Duncan knew the male/female game. Play nice now, and he'd get his fun later.

With Jean still in his embrace, he leaned in and whispered into her ear so Scott couldn't hear him. "I was hoping to steal you away from this gang later for a little you-me time. I saw a nice, private spot in the woods before..." He let his words linger. "Maybe we can hook up there later." He nuzzled her neck as he finished speaking.

"We'll see," she said, not wanting to give him an outright no. "I wanted today to be about you meeting my friends though."

Before Duncan could reply, Scott piped up. He'd seen about all he could take of Duncan holding Jean. Seeing their intimate moment together, Scott seized the opportunity to pull Jean's attention from Duncan.

"Hey, Jean. Where do you want all this stuff?" He was referring to all the food and picnic supplies she had packed in the trunk area.

Releasing herself from Duncan's embrace, Jean walked toward Scott at the back of the van.

"Hmm…" Jean thought as she surveyed all the stuff. "First things first, we should get the grill going. Do you mind doing that?" She turned to Scott.

"Sure, no problem." Scott grabbed the charcoal and lighter and headed for the grill closest to the lake, about 15 feet from a picnic table.

"Thank you," Jean shouted after him.

Scott replied with a head nod since his hands were full.

Turning to Duncan, Jean said, "You can help me with all this." She handed him a large cooler stacked with paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, and a table cloth on top. "I'll grab the sodas."

With food in tow, Jean and Duncan headed for the picnic table where the others, minus Scott, were already sitting. After Evan had beat them all to the lake and sat down at the table, the others had joined him. Scott was still at the grill, attempting to light it.

"Vhat all did ja bring?" Kurt inquired.

"I thought we'd go traditional with hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, fruit salad, and various potato chips."

"Great, I'm starved," Evan declared while poking through the bags of food until he found the brand he was looking for.

While Jean and Duncan continued to unpack all the food they'd brought, which was inevitably too much, Kitty and Rogue poured themselves drinks as Kurt and Evan devoured Evan's potato chips.

There was an awkward silence as Jean and Duncan continued to unpack the food and the others stuffed their faces. For the life of her, Jean could think of nothing to say. 'I should have come up with some things to talk about before we got here,' she thought. 'Scott would have in my position.' She laughed to herself at the thought.

Finally Kitty broke the awkward silence. "So, like, the football team's had a great year…" She left the sentence hanging, not knowing what else to say, which was unlike Kitty.

"Yeah, all thanks to my quarterback skills," Duncan said defensively. He was so used to defending himself against his father's verbal attacks, that this statement was his first response.

"Duncan, you did great this season," Jean earnestly replied, sensing his tenderness on the subject of football.

"Any oaf can play football. It's just ah game of big, sweaty men runnin' into each 'ther. What's so hard 'bout that?" Rogue asked to no one in particular.

Evan bounced off of Rogue's comment. "Yeah, it's a sport like skateboarding that really takes mad skill and coordination."

"And 'nother thing." Rogue ignored Evan. "Why do y'all pinch each 'ther's butts?"

"You all don't understand the strategy and seriousness of football." Turning to Evan, Duncan continued, his anger mounting, "You'd have to be a moron to think skateboarding takes more skill than football. Because only a moron would fail to see the strength required to dominate the field." Duncan chose to ignore Rogue's last comment.

Although Scott had kept quiet for the debate so far, he felt compelled to stick up for Evan. After all, X-Men always outrank outsiders, especially when the outsider was the jerk dating Jean. "I don't know, Duncan. I'd rather face a 300 pound linebacker than a 20 foot half-pipe any day."

"Yeah, well, you would just blast through a linebacker. Oop…" with a glare from Rogue, Kitty caught herself and tried to recover. They didn't want to reveal their secret mutant identities to Duncan. "Like, you know what I mean…with all that, like, training you do for track."

Duncan was oblivious to Kitty's slip up. "Ha! That's a laugh and a half. Summers here couldn't last a week in football practices," Duncan jeered.

"I have no doubt, Matthews, that I could run circles around you," Scott responded.

"Oh, Gawd, ah sense a testosterone war brewin'," Rogue whispered to Kitty.

At Rogue's comment, the tension between Duncan and Scott was trumped by the arrival of a large, red pickup truck in the parking lot. It arrived with its horn blaring and three Bayville High football players, friends of Duncan, laughing and hanging out the side of the pickup. The driver, another friend of Duncan's, hastily pulled into a parking spot, and the rear occupants unloaded.

Cheerily, Duncan commented, "Great! The guys have arrived. The fun can finally begin." He headed for the truck to greet his friends, the row with Scott seemingly forgotten…for now.

The X-Men watched the scene unfold in front of them in disbelief. Kurt and Evan exchanged glances while Kitty giggled at the cute football players.

Jean turned to the others, but looked at Scott. Her voice was strained. "I swear I didn't know they were coming."

Scott met Jean's eyes but had no comment to offer to ease her obvious displeasure at the developing situation.

Rogue captured the moment with three words. "Cue train wreck."

xxxxx

**So? What do you think? Please let me know! **


	5. Train Wreck

**Chapter 5: Train Wreck**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. Don't sue.**

**A/N: Sorry this took longer than anticipated. I got a little overwhelmed with work. I'm hoping to get a new chapter up within 2 weeks because I hate when stories take forever to update. I do have an ending in mind, but we're not quite there yet. Please, please, please R&R.**

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

Jean was furious at Duncan for inviting his friends to her picnic with her friends. The whole purpose was to allow him to get to know them better and hopefully develop somewhat of friendly relations with her friends. Without Duncan's friends influencing his perspective on her friends, she was hoping at the very least he would acknowledge their existence. Apparently she was asking too much.

Leaving her friends in the picnic area, Jean headed after Duncan and towards his friends who were unloading their pickup truck with what appeared to be large water coolers. Scott stared after Jean and for a moment almost pitied Duncan. Almost. He had seen the fire in Jean's eyes and knew it was never a good idea to get Jean's redheaded temper going. Scott had never actually been on the receiving end of her fury, but he'd seen the repercussions when Jean had caught Evan trying to peek into the girls' locker room once. For about an hour she had Evan convinced he was a chicken until Professor X caught on and reversed it.

As Jean approached Duncan's side at the pickup, Duncan's friends all took notice.

"Hey, Jean. How's it goin'?" Duncan's friend Joe asked. Joe was Bayville High's most eligible bachelor at the moment. He had the girls swooning over his black hair and wicked smile. His biggest competitor for the ladies would have been Duncan if he wasn't seeing Jean.

"Oh, just dandy," Jean replied with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Turning to Duncan, Jean managed to control her temper and softly asked, "Can I talk to you a minute?"

"Sure, sure. In a minute." Dismissing Jean's request, Duncan turns to his buddies. "I'm so glad you guys made it. It was becoming a drag around here, if you know what I mean."

"No problem, Dunc," Dan, the brown-haired wide receiver said. "We came as soon as you texted."

"I'd never pass up a party!" said Chris, the 300 pound linebacker.

With each of their comments, Jean was getting more and more frustrated. She couldn't believe Duncan INVITED them, and apparently on short notice because she and her friends were so dull. She was dying to give Duncan a piece of her mind, but she refused to make a scene. After all, she was Jean Grey, and she had a reputation to maintain. A reputation that did not have her out in public parking lots screaming at her boyfriend for being such an idiot.

"Duncan, we need to talk NOW," Jean insisted. Dragging him by the arm, she took him a few feet away from the pickup as the other boys starting carrying their water cooler to the picnic table.

"Woah, what's your problem?" Duncan inquired, oblivious to Jean's anger.

"I don't have a problem."

"Then let's go party."

"You can't be serious," Jean said exasperated. Her friends were never this inconsiderate. She didn't expect her boyfriend to be less so than her friends. "What are those guys doing here?"

"I just thought since I was getting to know your friends, you could get to know mine."

"It would have been nice if you told me. I could have prepared, taken care of some little details, you know, like having enough food for everyone." Jean's sarcasm only escalated.

"Oh, don't worry about feeding them," knowingly Duncan smiled. "I think they brought all they need."

Jean was confused. "They only brought drinks."

"I know." Sensing it was time to turn up the charm, Duncan took Jean's hands in his. "If you'd like, you can yell at me all you want later. But for now, let's go and have some fun!" He began to lead her back to the picnic area.

Jean was still not happy with the situation, but what could she really do? It was time to deal with the hand she'd been dealt. "This is not over."

When Jean and Duncan reached the picnic table, Duncan's pals had already poured themselves drinks from their water cooler.

"Here, Duncan, take this," Chris handed Duncan a plastic cup filled from the water cooler they had brought. "Dan whipped it up special."

Duncan began guzzling, savoring the rum and juice flavor. He always did love Dan's jungle juice. He drank quickly so until he got a good buzz.

After a few minutes of awkward attempts at conversation around the picnic table, Dan noticed the sports equipment. "Wicked! They have a football. Let's play!"

"Great idea," Duncan replied. "Who's up for a game of two-hand touch?"

Joe, Chris, Evan, and Kurt all immediately agreed. Rogue only decided to play once she realized there was nothing better to do. Kitty was not about to embarrass herself by displaying her inability to catch a football, especially in front of the cute high school football team. However, Rogue whispered that if she was able to battle the Brotherhood, she could handle catching a pigskin.

"Hey, Summers! Come play. Show me how you're going to run circles around me," Duncan challenged, feeling the after effects of the alcoholic buzz but maintaining his coordination.

Setting his drink on the table, Scott said, "I'm in."

"Jean, you in?" Duncan asked.

Not wanting to get in the middle of another bout of male posturing, she replied, "Someone should really say here and keep an eye on the burgers."

"It will take them a good 15 minutes to cook. You can check on them as we play. We need you to even out the teams," Duncan pushed.

Succumbing to his plea, she agreed to play. The teams were set: Duncan, his friends, and Jean versus the X-Men. The X-Men were the first to receive the ball. After catching the kickoff, they had made it to what on a real sized field would have been the 60 yard line.

Scott was the quarterback for the X-Men team, and called a huddle before their first play. They had arranged for Evan to go long for the touchdown. They were going all or nothing from the get go.

After the huddle broke, both teams took the line. At Scott's hike, the X-Men moved in all directions. Evan took off for the end zone with Joe, his defender, in hot pursuit.

Scott looked for Evan, then threw the ball to his mark. Just as he let go of the ball, Duncan sacked him. Scott fell hard to the ground, which knocked his glasses from his face.

Meantime, Evan had caught the ball and made a touchdown. He was doing a happy dance in the end zone. Once the play was complete, the others noticed Scott had fallen.

"Hey, Scott, are you okay?" asked Kitty.

"Scott!" Jean yelled, rushing to his side. She picked up his glasses along the way. Kneeling down beside him, she placed the glasses back over his eyes.

"Thanks, Jean," Scott replied sheepishly.

"I'm okay," Duncan piqued. "Thanks for asking."

Turning to face him, she replied angrily. "You hit him! I thought this was two-hand touch not knock-'em-out-football."

Eager to end his embarrassment of getting sacked and loosing his glasses, Scott said, "I'm fine. I've taken greater hits from Logan. Let's just play."

"Please tell me you guys saw me make that touchdown!" Evan exclaimed, continuing his happy dance after seeing Scott was okay.

"Provin' mah point that any oaf can play football," Rogue commented.

"Hey, I'm on your team, remember?" Evan reminded Rogue.

"Yah point?" she replied.

Tired of waiting for the game to continue, Chris said, "Let's quit this yakking and play some football."

The game went on for awhile longer. Jean stopped between every few plays to check on the burgers, but they were cooking slowly. During these brief breaks Duncan and his pals refilled their cups of jungle juice and continued their quick alcohol consumption, unbeknownst to the X-Men. After one of these breaks, Duncan's team returned to the field with possession of the ball.

To no one's surprise, Duncan was playing in the quarterback position. Their next play had Jean running wide to receive the ball. Scott was guarding her and noticed when the football was rocketing towards them. Both he and Jean ran and reached for the ball, causing them to collide into each other. Scott quickly lowered his arms to catch himself as he landed face first on top of Jean.

Jean's heart quicken in pace when she realized the awkward, provocative position they had fallen into. Looking up into his ruby quartz lenses, she tried to catch his eyes.

"Looks like you fell head over heels for me," she said as she laughed uneasily.

'Too true,' Scott thought. But he replied, "Sorry about that. Let me help…"

Duncan interjected. "Summers, you better get off my girl if you know what's good for you."

Already to his feet, Scott turned to confront Duncan. "That's it. I've had about enough of you." He made an attempt to reach for his glasses. 'A good dose of my optic beams should shut this guy up. I think I could almost deal with Jean not dating me, if she wasn't dating this jerk.'

"Scott, no!" Jean quickly got to her feet. "I'm so sick of this fighting! Duncan, we need to talk."

"Uh oh, somevone's in trouble," Kurt noted to Kitty and Rogue.

"Dunc, you gonna take that from her? Who wears the pants in your relationship?" Chris said.

"Yeah, you're so whipped," Joe added.

"Knock it off, guys. I just have a girl that can't wait to get me alone and all to herself."

"Yeah, right," Jean said as she grabbed Duncan's arm and led him away.

Scott stared after them, madder than ever at Duncan for dating his best friend. 'Duncan's too stupid to see what a wonderful girl Jean is. If I had just a moment with him alone, I'd light into him! Jean deserves a guy that loves and respects her…I don't think this guy is capable of either of those things.'

Jean and Duncan walked in silence to a slightly wooded area away from the picnic area so no one else could hear them. Jean was ready to have a heart-to-heart with Duncan and find out why his behavior has been so bizarre lately.

Once they were out of sight and earshot from the others, Jean began the conversation. "What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting all strange…rude to my friends, inviting yours without telling me, fighting with Scott...What's it all about?"

Still feeling a bit of the alcohol he consumed earlier, Duncan's inhibitions were down and he opened up about his feelings towards Scott. "I don't like the way Scott looks at you."

"The way he LOOKS at me?" she repeated with emphasis.

"He likes you, you know. But you're my girl." He pulled Jean close to him and gave her a kiss.

Jean quickly pulled away. She was in no way interested in kissing someone who had just been incredibly rude to her friends all afternoon. But she couldn't help but consider what Duncan had said. 'Could what he be saying be true? Did Scott really like her? And so much so that others were noticing?' Suddenly Jean's attention was diverted when she realized something. "Was that alcohol I smelled?" Jean asked.

Duncan laughed. "Yeah, just a little rum from Dan's jungle juice. You should really try it. It's great stuff. Really knocks you for a loop."

"Duncan! You're under 21 and too young to drink. Plus, this is a public park where it is illegal to drink at any age. What are you thinking?"

"I need a little kick every once in awhile, babe, just to take the edge off of all the at home pressure. Dad's always riding me so hard, it's nice to forget it all every once in awhile." Duncan made this confession know she had a soft spot for his family issues.

Jean couldn't believe it. First Duncan was rude to her friends, then he invited his friends over without telling her, and then he had been drinking alcohol illegally. This was the last straw. Three strikes. Duncan was out. "Duncan, I understand it's been hard for you to deal with your father, but I can't condone your actions over the past several days. I think it's time we broke up."

"What are you talking about? You can't break up with me?"

"I'm sorry, Duncan. You know I'll always be there for you if you want to talk about football, your dad, whatever. But it will only be as friends."

"You'll be like all the other Institute freaks without me."

She paused for a moment to let that last comment sink in. 'Did he really think that her high school social standing would influence who she dates?' She finally said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Suddenly Scott appeared through the trees. "Burgers are done. I tried to keep the others away until you both got back, but no luck. Come fight for what you want."

By the time Scott finished his sentence, he was close enough to them both to see from their body language that they'd just been in a heated argument. He was glad he'd come. He was using the burgers as an excuse to check on Jean and make sure she was okay.

"We just finished, Scott. Do you mind if we go home now?"

He could tell something had transpired between the two that had Jean wanting to go home, but now was not the time to press for such information. She would tell him when she was ready, if it was something she wanted to discuss. Scott replied, "I'll round up the others."

"Great. I'll come with you."

And Scott and Jean left a speechless Duncan alone in the woods.

xxxxx

On the van ride back from the picnic, the other X-Men were extremely curious about what had happened in the woods between Duncan and Jean. Whatever had occurred was obviously the cause of their premature departure. However, everyone was too afraid to ask. They rode the short five miles home in silence.

The others noticed Jean appeared calm, cool, and collected, which was exactly the image she was hoping to give off. In reality, she was furious; furious at Duncan and his immature antics, but even more furious at herself for tolerating his behavior for so long. Jean couldn't believe she had put up with such behavior. She was convinced her friends all thought she was a moron.

As they pulled into the driveway, Kitty couldn't take the suspense any longer and had to ask, "So…umm, Jean, is everything okay between you and Duncan?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay."

"Umm, sure thing," was all Kitty could think of as a reply.

Jean didn't have the heart to tell her friends the truth about their breakup. Not yet. She was still so upset about Duncan's behavior and mostly embarrassed for herself ever dating such a guy. What had she been thinking?

xxxxx

**Okay, so my accents stink and it got a little challenging to manage so many people at some points, but I think this chapter came out okay. Sorry no major plot twist, Wen. I couldn't come up with anything plausible and dramatic enough…but there are more surprises to come. What will be the aftermath with school begins again on Monday?! Will Jean tell the X-Men what happened, or will they find out at school on Monday??? Dum, dum, dum.**


	6. Rumors

**Chapter 6: Rumors**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. Wish I did.**

**A/N: So…this chapter went in a totally different direction than I anticipated, but I think it makes the story loads better. Let me know what you think after reading it! As always, kudos to my sister, the amazing beta. I think it's her superpower. **

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

After arriving home from the picnic that afternoon Jean hadn't left her room. She feigned some excuse to her friends about needing to finish some homework and hadn't been seen since. When called for dinner, she politely declined by saying she was still full from the picnic. Scott knew she was been lying, but decided to leave it alone. Jean obviously wanted privacy. He of all people could respect that.

Jean spent the evening lying on her bed, chastising herself for dating such a jerk. Duncan had definitely proven himself to be a far less than spectacular boyfriend. He'd disrespected her far too many times to tolerate. She'd been told she was a patient, caring person, but Duncan had just pushed too far. She didn't care for his rudeness towards her friends and underage delinquency. In the matter of the past few days he'd transformed from Dashing Duncan to Duncan the Dweeb. Jean was embarrassed.

As the evening grew later, Jean tried to sleep and forget, but her mind wouldn't let her. She tossed and turned every 15 minutes. Once 1:30am hit, she couldn't take it any longer. Jean figured the best way to rest her mind was to get her thoughts out. She turned on a light and reached under her bed to pull out her journal.

It was a tattered old leather bound book her father had given her years ago. When Jean was little she had added her own flare to the book by placing stickers of unicorns and rainbows all over it. Her mother had freaked out over the stickers when she found it while cleaning Jean's room one day. She couldn't believe Jean would ruin expensive leather with such dreadful stickers. When she had told Jean's father, he had only laughed.

Jean had stared at her blank journal page for a few minutes thinking about what to write. Finally she put her pen to paper to write: 'Charming looks ≠ charming personality.' Feeling just a bit better after making such a declaration, Jean turned off the light and finally slept.

xxxxx

The next morning was a rough one for Jean. Her alarm woke her from a short, but sound sleep at 5am. She and the rest of the team had DR training with Logan. Although Jean had rolled out of bed for training, she had barely been awake. Her reflexes were slow and she had gotten herself caught in the tentacles of one of Professor X's DR machines early in the simulation and needed rescued. Scott had zapped the tentacles while Kurt teleported in to pull her out of harm's way.

"Hey, girlie, get yourself out of here," Logan barked at Jean. "You're endangering the others. Come back when you're ready to be part of the team."

"Woah, you can't do that." Scott jumped in to defend Jean. "You can't just throw Jean off the team when we're in the field. We shouldn't do it now."

Logan defended his order. "If she's endangering the mission, we do."

"But…" Scott tried to continue until Jean cut him off.

"No, Scott. It's alright. I'll meet you all at the debriefing afterwards." As she reached the DR door to exit, she turned to the rest of the team, "I'm sorry."

Jean was mad at herself for being foolish yet again. She knew how dangerous and important DR training was, and she messed it up. Put her whole team in danger because they had to stop and rescue the girl who couldn't get her act together. She went to the war room to wait for the debriefing. Inside she found Ororo sitting there, obviously waiting for her.

"Did Logan ask you to meet me here?" Jean asked.

Ororo ignored her question and offered one of her own. "Is there something you'd like to talk about, child?"

"There's nothing really to share. I didn't get much sleep last night and it showed during training." Jean hung her head to avoid making eye contact with Ororo. She was embarrassed for her performance today. She was letting her personal life get in the way of her X-Men responsibilities, and that was not like her. Her embarrassment had not even let her defend herself against Wolverine. She'd known he'd been right.

Ororo continued pushing for answers. She was not going to let Jean get off easy and evade the truth from her team, or more importantly, herself. "You haven't been yourself since yesterday afternoon. You did not even join us for dinner. Did something happen yesterday at your picnic?"

Jean tried weakly to make light of the situation. "You're not going to stop asking until you get an answer, are you?"

"Not until I get the truth," Storm ensured.

Jean sighed. She wasn't sure she was ready to admit her stupidity aloud for dating Duncan, but Jean had begun to look at Ororo as more of a mother figure since her early years at the Institute. If she was going to open up to anyone about Duncan, Ororo was the best choice.

Jean replayed the events of yesterday's picnic to Ororo, and the weather witch listened patiently. Jean ended the story with the breakup in the woods and the admission that she felt foolish for ever developing feelings for such a jerk. That's why she'd kept to herself recently and hadn't told the others about the breakup.

After a pause, Ororo spoke. "Why do you feel it must be kept a secret?"

"I don't know." Jean flushed. "I'm embarrassed, I guess."

"You are not the one who should feel embarrassed. If anyone should, it's this Duncan fellow." Reaching across the table, Ororo took Jean's hand as a sign of sincerity. "If I were you, I'd be shouting off the rooftops that I disposed of such a fool."

It was a comment she didn't expect from Ororo, and Jean smiled. The image of standing on top the high school roof and yelling SHE dumped the varsity quarterback did seem appealing. Maybe today at school wouldn't be so bad after all. She could admit she made a mistake in judging Duncan's character, but she remedied the situation as soon as she discovered it. Everyone makes mistakes. Now she just had to tell her team…

xxxxx

Jean decided on the way to school would be the best opportunity to inform the X-Men of her new life as a single woman. So once everyone piled into the vehicle and Scott pulled out of the driveway, Jean started talking. "So...umm…I want to apologize again for my performance…"

"More like lack ther' of," Rogue interjected. Kitty elbowed her in response.

Jean continued as if she didn't hear Rogue's comment. She was right, of course. But the purpose of this monologue was not about the DR session today. "There is no excuse for putting the team in danger. But there is a reason for it." She paused to inhale deeply. 'Why do I have such a problem admitting my mistake?'

Scott offered encouragement. "It's okay, Jean. You can tell us."

"Yeah, we won't judge you," Kitty reassured.

"Much," Rogue quipped. Kitty just glared at her.

"I broke up with Duncan yesterday at the picnic."

"What? And you're, like, just now telling us?" Kitty inquired in shock, turning her attention immediately back to Jean.

"I didn't want to make it a big deal because I was mad at myself for ever liking such a moron. But I realize now it's better to admit it than hide it." Then thinking to herself she added, 'You'd all find out at school today anyways if I didn't tell you.'

"Oh, Miss Perfect lost her boyfriend? Boohoo," Rogue said in a bit more than a whisper as she crossed her arms and leaned back into her seat.

"It's about time, Jean," Evan said. "That dude's been bad news from day one."

"Yeah, you could do so much better!" Kitty commented.

Jean knew she wouldn't get much respect from Rogue, but it was nice to hear the Evan and Kitty were supportive. She wondered what Scott thought. "Anyways, I didn't get much sleep last night. So 5am came much earlier than usual."

"Totally understandable," Kurt said.

"Do you mind if we just forget it now? Pretend it never happened? I'd like to try to forget Duncan and I were ever an 'item'."

Scott quickly spoke up for the first time, "Definitely not a problem."

Jean smiled as they pulled into their parking spot. She was a little less stressed about school today than she was earlier. Her friends supported her, and that meant a lot.

The X-Men grabbed their book bags and headed out of the car. As they headed towards the school building, Scott walked up beside Jean.

"Hey, Jean. I just wanted to let you know I'm sorry about you and Duncan." He thought to himself, 'More like ecstatically happy.'

"Thanks, Scott. But I thought you didn't like him," she smirked knowing full well the two had recently been butting heads for some reason or another.

"I didn't." Then he corrected himself. "I don't. But I can still be sorry. You know I'm always there for you, right?"

Jean looked up and him and smiled. "Yes, I do."

xxxxx

School was not the breeze Jean had hoped it would be. Actually, the entire week had gone poorly. The only bright side was she had successfully avoided Duncan. But that didn't stop the rumors from flying all over school about Jean and Duncan's breakup. Well, really the rumors were more about Jean than Duncan. Every horrible rumor possible seemed to be floating around the halls about Jean and her personal life. Some said she was a lesbian, that's why she'd dumped Duncan. Others named her a tease who would flirt for attention but never putout passed first base. Apparently Duncan had been saying he broke up with her because she was a bad kisser.

Typically rumors would never bother Jean. Her social status was of little consequence to her. She had more important things to worry about, like, for instance, being a X-Men and trying not to die in dangerous missions.

However, the past week of school had been particularly rough. Every time she walked down the school hallways she could hear the horrible rumors in her head. Typically she could shield stray thoughts with her telepathy, but with so many people projecting thoughts about her, she couldn't help but hear them. They didn't have the developed shields that Prof X had taught the X-Men.

These thoughts were stressing Jean out. She couldn't fully concentrate in class because others' thoughts kept entering her head. If she tried to shield them out herself, she couldn't focus on the teacher's lesson. Therefore, Jean spent most of her class periods trying to pay attention and just ignoring people's thoughts. It was difficult.

When Jean had tried to talk to the Professor about upping her shield strength, he had given her some practice exercises and told her to give it time. Although Jean did the exercises religiously every night, she hoped the rumors would die down before the shields would go into full effect.

By the middle of the second week after what had commonly been referred throughout school as 'The Breakup,' Jean was exhausted. The constant strain of increased shielding was taking a toll on her. She was stressed and tired. Selfishly, Jean prayed unsuccessfully every night that some other drama would occur at school to take people's attention off of Duncan and her. She hated being tied to his name.

Scott had picked up on Jean's stress and wished there was some way he could relieve her of it all. It was obvious to him that she needed some time away from Bayville's high school students, so one day after school he came up with a plan.

To execute his plan, Scott found Jean at her locker at the end of a school day. He approached her with a smile. "How's it going?"

"Okay, I guess." Jean attempted a smile. She just wanted to go home and lock herself in her room to nap. She needed a break from others' thoughts about her. "You?"

"Hangin' in there," he replied. Trying to sound casual, he continued. "Hey, do you want to go grab some coffee or something?"

"I don't know. I'm really tired…and I have a lot of homework to do." It's not that she didn't want to hang out with Scott, because typically she loved his company. They were best friends and could sit and relax with meaningless banter or deep, philosophical conversations for hours. But she wasn't sure she was up for staying in public.

"Perfect! Coffee should wake you right up," Scott joked before turning serious. "No, seriously, I can tell the past week and half has been stressful for you. I thought you'd like to get away from it all for awhile."

"Yeah, well…"

Scott knew she was wavering, but pushed because he realized she really needed to escape reality for awhile. So he pulled out his trump card. "I happen to recall you owe me a bribe for helping you build a birdhouse for shop class, Miss Grey. I'd like to use it now."

Finally, Jean genuinely smiled. "I guess I can't argue with that."

xxxxx

Once at a small corner coffeehouse in Bayville, they ordered their drinks and settled in at a table by the window.

"I just love to people watch, don't you?" Jean asked.

"People watch?" Scott repeated.

"Yeah, I sit and watch all the people walking by on the street and think of what their lives must be like. For example, that woman over there dragging her young daughter behind her." Jean subtly pointed out the woman to Scott. "She's taking her daughter to the doctor to get a shot and the little girl knows it. And that man in the suit at the corner…he just got out of a sales pitch meeting where he won the contract. That's why he's grinning."

"Are you cheating and reading their minds?" Scott teased.

"No!" Jean exclaimed. "I just make up stories." Scott chuckled at her defensiveness.

They sat together at the table for a while in silence, enjoying each other's company even without conversation.

Eventually Jean broke the silence. "This is nice."

Scott agreed. "Yeah, it is."

"I definitely needed this. Thank you for pushing me to come."

"Anytime, Jean. Everyone needs to escape occasionally."

There was a pause before she said, "And there is no one I'd rather do it with." Then Jean blushed, realizing her sexual innuendo. "I mean…escape with." She thought, 'Ugh, I can't believe I just said that! Freudian slip maybe? Nooo, Scott's my best friend. I can't LIKE him like him. I can only like him as a friend. I'm so not ready for another relationship. Ugh, I'm a wreck.'

"Of course. And I'll always be there to do it with you…escape with you." Scott had purposefully let his words slip. Jean was no longer attached to Duncan, and he wanted to jump with glee because of it. He didn't have the guts to admit his feelings for Jean yet. Not overtly. No, it wasn't the right timing. She needed space to get over Duncan first. But he couldn't help thinking that maybe another guy would grab Jean's affections before he had the chance, or courage, to act himself. Other guys had already approached him in the halls asking questions about Jean. They knew he lived with Jean and wanted details about her. Scott didn't know if he could live with himself if he had to watch her with another boyfriend again.

Suddenly Jean groaned at something out the window. Turning to look, Scott asked, "What's the matter?" Immediately he could see. Duncan's pals Chris and Dan were walking into the coffeehouse. They had spotted Scott and Jean through the window and were coming inside.

Approaching the table, Chris said, "Yo, Summers, didn't you hear she's a bad lay?"

Dan jumped in, coupling Chris' statement. "Yeah, heard it straight from Duncan's mouth."

Jean reddened as she quickly defended herself against this public humiliation. "I would NEVER have slept with Duncan!"

"Then the other rumor I heard is true? You're a lesbo!" Chris declared loud enough for the entire coffeehouse to hear.

Scott was shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing about Jean. Anyone who knew anything about her knew these rumors were all lies. But it doesn't stop the pain from affecting the person they were about. Jean was obviously mortified by their comments. He wished he could do something to help her…but what?

"Far from it. I just date gentlemen, not morons," she stated with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Oh, like Shades over here?" Dan said sarcastically.

Dan's comment sparked an idea for Scott. "Exactly. She deserves romance, not rudeness. Support, not aggression. The list goes on and on." Then Scott reached across the table and slipped Jean's hand within his own. "That's why she started dating me."

_What are you doing?_ Jean asked, alarmed by his warm hand around hers.

_Trust me. Just go with it._ He gave her hand a quick squeeze in reassurance.

"I can't believe you are dating Nerd Boy here, Jean!" Dan said as he started laughing.

"Oh, he's much more than a 'Nerd Boy,' Chris. He's everything Duncan's not and more," Jean exclaimed, embracing Scott's plan – whatever it was.

The banter between Duncan's friends and Jean and Scott was interrupted by the stout coffeehouse owner. "You boys either buy something or get out! You're making a scene."

With that, Dan and Chris left, but not without looking back at Scott and Jean and laughing while saying, "Wait until Duncan and the rest of school find out about this!"

Once they had left the building, Scott regretfully released Jean's hand. "Sorry about that. I should have let you handle it, but I couldn't take them any longer. Figured pretending we were dating was better than whipping off my glasses to take them down the way I really wanted to."

"Yeah, definitely right." Jean laughed, thankful those goons had left. "It was a good idea."

"Well, maybe not. Now at school tomorrow we have to tell everyone it's not true." But Scott wished it was true. He'd love to have Jean as his girlfriend. Lord knew he thought about it enough – dreamed about it at night if he was lucky. 'She's out of your league, Summers. She'll never go for you. Let it go,' he thought.

Jean was sure there would be more rumors about her tomorrow after their stunt to pretend they were dating. "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to my telepathy going crazy again."

Scott pondered for a moment and developed a plan. "There is a way to avoid telling everyone." He paused for a second to reflect on his plan before deciding to go for it. "What if we just didn't tell them we were pretending? Just sorta…leave that part out?"

Before speaking he had quickly calculated the risks. He was a tactical, he couldn't help himself. If he pretended to date Jean, he'd be in a pseudo relationship with the woman he loved. It would be fake, and all his romantic gestures would be considered role playing. But, on the other hand, it was a safe move. They didn't have to risk ruining their friendship. Being a fake boyfriend was better than not being one at all. And, if he was fake dating Jean then no one else could date her. Plus, while pretending to date, she may actually begin to see him as boyfriend material. Maybe this was the perfect plan.

Jean was confused. "Didn't tell them what? About us making up that we're dating?"

"Yeah. Let's not tell them we were pretending and continue 'dating'." He added the invisible quotation marks around the word dating.

"I don't think if that's such a good idea. Wouldn't that just spark more rumors?" Although the idea did intrigue Jean, she had her reservations. Scott was her best friend and although she could admit they'd had some chemistry between them in the gym not two weeks ago, she wasn't sure she was ready for another relationship – real or imaginary – with anyone.

Scott defended his plan. "I'm sure there will be rumors, but probably about me. Everyone will wonder how a loner like me hooked up with the soccer star."

"Oh, Scott. Don't say such things!" Jean reflected for a moment before saying, "If you're sure, I'll do it." She wasn't really sure why she'd said yes, but it just felt right.

"I'm sure." Scott loved the notion of dating Jean. It would definitely have its benefits. He could hold her hand, walk her to classes, and hopefully get more time alone with her. But, he wasn't convinced he could handle a fake relationship. He wanted the real thing.

"There you have it. We're dating but secretly not dating. And why not? The rumors are bound to get better than they have been. Plus, who knows, it might be fun! We're already best friends. It won't be much different." Jean paused a moment before continuing, "But I guess we would have to occasionally show some public displays of affection to suggest we're actually dating."

"I think I can handle a little PDA." Scott smirked. "The question is, can you?"

"Without a doubt, Mr. Summers," Jean replied.

With their coffee cups deposited and jackets on, they exited the coffeehouse hand in hand.

xxxxx

**A/N: Ahhh! Did you see that coming?? I hope some of the slang terms I used were universal. I tried to use terms one would hear thrown around in a HS…at least, words that were used when I was in HS. Haha. Don't forget, please feed my feedback addiction! **


	7. Reactions

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Chapter 7: Reactions**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has written a review! I'm a new fanfic writer so I like to hear what you as a reader have to say. You've all be so inspiring, and for that I thank you immensely. Thanks also goes to my beta sister. Also, of course, I don't own the X-Men. /sad face/**

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

On the drive home from town and having coffee with Jean, Scott couldn't believe the situation he now found himself in. He was dating Jean Grey. Okay, so not officially dating. They were pretending to date. It had happened so serendipitously, and Scott couldn't have been more pleased. Although he realized their relationship was false, the rest of the world, and the team, would perceive it as genuine. Scott considered it a compromise of the heart.

Interrupting Scott's thoughts, Jean asked what had him grinning.

His smile widened. "Oh, nothing. I was just imagining what the team's reaction will be when we tell them we're dating."

"You don't think we should tell them the truth?" Jean questioned. She wasn't accustomed to keeping secrets, particularly from her teammates.

He took his eyes off the road only long enough to turn towards Jean. "Now where's the fun in that?"

Jean couldn't resist the urge to smile. "I guess you're right. Plus we know Kurt couldn't keep it a secret long, especially from Amanda. It would be bound to spread throughout school if we told anyone the truth. And don't even get me started on Kitty."

"Then let's promise to keep our secret confidential. For all intensive purposes, we are officially a couple – to the team, the Professor, Bayville High, everyone."

"You got it," Jean said.

"Do you think the Professor will find out, being as he's a telepath?" Scott inquired.

"Like me, Scott, he's not going to probe your mind. One's thoughts are a private sanctuary that should never be invaded. Just don't project the thought, and we're fine."

They both reflected on their own thoughts, apparently lost in their own little worlds. Jean spoke first. "I wonder how Duncan will feel about this? I hope he's incredibly jealous – oh my! I can't believe I actually said that!" She reddened in embarrassment.

"Would you feel better if I said I'd been thinking the same thing?"

"We're horrible," Jean said as they both laughed at themselves.

Since Jean had brought up the topic of Duncan. Scott took the opportunity to question her further. "What did you ever see in Matthews anyways?" In his head he continued, questioning, 'What's he have that I don't?'

Jean paused before answering. She wasn't sure how to articulate her answer. "I don't know. He was charming at times, and when he slipped up he'd bring me a flower. Sorta like a peace offering."

Scott raised an eyebrow at the thought of Duncan doing something 'charming.'

"It was cute," Jean defended. "Anyways, once he started having personal problems he began taking his frustrations out on other people. Once those other people became my friends I had had enough."

"Oh," Scott curiously replied. "What kind of personal problems?"

"I really can't talk about it. I kinda gave him my word."

"Oh, okay."

Scott understood why Jean wouldn't tell him, and he respected her for not betraying the trust of even an ex-boyfriend. But part of him was jealous that Jean and Duncan still shared personal secrets with each other.

"I wonder how Logan will react…" Jean pondered aloud.

"Oh, no." Scott gulped. "I didn't think of that. This may be the shortest relationship on record when Logan kills me."

xxxxx

_**Back at the mansion's living room…**_

BAMF! "Kurt, come back here with that remote right now!" Kitty exclaimed as she frantically ran around the room trying in vain to catch a teleporting Kurt.

"No vay! You got to vatch Grey's Anatomy down here last veek on the Hi-Def TV. Now it's my turn."

Kitty lunged towards the couch where Kurt was standing but right as she got close to him, he bamfed next to the window. Kitty landed face first on the cushions. It took her a minute to recompose herself.

"I should be able to vatch Scrubs down here anyvays cause Dr. Cox is ten times a better doctor than Meredith."

"Like, I don't know how one can expect me to watch McDreamy on anything less than HD. He's, like, so hot!"

"But does he have J.D. or Dr. Cox's humor? I think not! I win and you lose! Neener, neener, neener!"

Kitty had now gotten up from the couch and moved herself over next to the TV where Scrubs was currently playing. "Kurt, like, don't make me short out the TV all together." Kurt's eyes widened in surprise as Kitty raised her hand over top the TV to prove she was serious about her threat. "I'll, like, totally do it!"

Before Kitty could commit to her threat, Scott and Jean entered the room. During the car ride home they'd agreed to announce their 'relationship' as soon as they got home, knowing full well it would cause a commotion.

"Hey, guys. Please tell me you aren't having the weekly Scrubs vs. Grey's debate again," Scott pleaded.

"It's so not fair! He always gets to watch Scrubs and I get stuck upstairs with a 13 inch screen requiring, like, a magnifying glass to even see the characters!" Kitty whined.

"That's cause I alvays get the remote," Kurt bragged, wagging the remote back and forth with his tail.

"Why don't you manually change the channel, Kitty?" Scott inquired.

"Oooh!" Kitty exclaimed with glee. "Good idea. I forgot about that!"

"Oh, Scott," Jean said as Kitty quickly dashed to change channels and Kurt frantically fiddled with the remote. "They don't need encouragement."

Jean then used her TK to lift the remote out of Kurt's hands and flip the TV off. "Besides, Scott and I have an announcement."

The oddity of Jean's statement coupled with her tone had both Kitty and Kurt staring at them with bewilderment. Scott and Jean smiled. Scott took Jean's hand as he said, "Jean and I are dating."

Kurt's jaw dropped, a look of bafflement never leaving his face.

Kitty squealed and jumped up and down. "Oh my God, like when did this happen?"

"Just now." Jean's smile grew into a grin at Kitty's delighted reaction. "Over coffee."

"Aww…how romantic," Kitty mused.

Kurt's only response was, "I have to tell Rogue and Evan." With that, they heard his characteristic BAMF and smelled the lingering odor of sulfur.

"And that's how rumors start flying," Jean said.

"Yeah, except for around here where they teleport," Scott said. "Plus, at least this time it's not a rumor," he added as he removed his hand from Jean's and instead placed it around her waist for more intimate contact.

"I still can't believe it. Scott and Jean are actually dating," Kitty said. "I didn't know you liked each other in _that_ way. Like, who asked who? I want details –"

Kitty was interrupted by the sudden quick entrance of Logan, Ororo, and the Professor. Ororo was the first to speak. "We heard something and wanted to see if everything was alright."

Logan's claws had been out when he entered the room, not knowing what to expect after hearing, what sounded to Logan as, Kitty shrieking. After quickly surveying the room and seeing no sign of danger he withdrew his claws and turned towards the young X-Men.

"Jean, you sick?" Logan questioned upon seeing her apparently leaning into Scott who had positioned his arm around her waist.

With a quizzical look, she replied. "No. Why?"

"I assume you're too weak to stand on account of Boy Scout over here with his hands all over you."

Kitty piped up before Jean could respond. "No, Logan! They're, like, dating now!"

"Is this true?" the Professor asked of Scott and Jean.

Scott stepped up to defend their 'relationship' if need be. If he was being honest with himself he'd admitted he was apprehensive about the adults' reactions. "Yes. I just asked Jean out at the coffeehouse. She obviously agreed."

"I see," he responded.

Ororo stepped towards her two young wards and hugged them lightly. "You both are like the moon and the stars, a perfect compliment to each other."

"Thank you, Storm." Jean said softly.

"Just what we need around here," Logan mumbled. "Two walking hormones attached at the hip."

"As long as there's no interference with your X-Men responsibilities," Professor X looked directly at Scott, "especially for the team leader…" He left the sentence hanging, almost as if it were a question.

"No, sir." Scott replied on cue.

"Then I see no harmful consequence to your decision."

Scott replied. "Thank you, Professor." The Professor's comments came across to Scott as his blessing of their relationship. He only wished the blessing could've meant more because their relationship was real.

"Is it okay if I drag Scott and Jean away now?" Kitty asked. "The others are going to want to hear the details, and I can't wait any longer."

"Of course," the Professor said. "You're dismissed."

As the three young X-Men left the room, Scott and Jean hand in hand, Logan turned to Ororo and Charles. "I can't believe Cyke actually got the nerve."

"No longer are they the young children who once entered this Institute," Charles said with a reminiscing tone.

"I'm afraid you are right, Charles," Ororo said. "They are like my garden flowers. They started out as seedlings, and now they have grown into beautiful blossoms."

Logan grunted. "As long as there ain't no cross pollinatin', it's fine by me."

xxxxx

Duncan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not two minutes ago he was in his basement lifting weights while Less Than Jake blared in the background, and now Chris and Dan were standing beside him with ridiculous news.

"You must have heard wrong," Duncan said, sitting on his weight bench. "There's no way Jean would date such a freak. I mean, come on! What's with those shades all the time?"

"Yo, Dunc," Dan regretted to say. "Hate to tell you, but we didn't hear wrong."

Duncan's face started to redden with anger and his grip on the dumbbell got tighter, so tight his knuckles began to turn white.

"Yeah, they even held hands and – ugh!" Dan punched Chris in the arm to shut him up. There was no need to give Duncan all the hurtful, irrelevant details.

With Chris' announcement Duncan's anger, which had been boiling from the start, now blew up. He took the 30 pound dumbbell he'd been lifting and threw it to the ground with a crash. Afterwards he resorted to pacing the room.

"I can't believe it. I suspected he liked her, but I never thought she'd go for him." Stopping mid-stride Duncan turned to look at his friends before continuing. "Did she say why?"

"Look, Duncan, it doesn't really matter –" Dan began.

Stepping into Dan's face, Duncan interjected. "_What_ did she say?"

Not wanting to piss off Duncan more than he already was, Dan responded. "She wants a gentleman. Scott even mentioned something about romance and support." Dan began to feel really uncomfortable by Duncan's proximity to his face. "I don't know, man."

Duncan backed away, choosing to return to his pacing. After a few minutes of pacing in silence with his friends shifting awkwardly and not knowing what to say, Duncan spoke. "Well, if it's romance and support she wants, that's exactly what she'll get. Come here, guys. I have a plan."

xxxxx

**A/N: Yay for reactions from the X-Men and Duncan. The drama never ends! Wait until you see Duncan's plan unfold! Stay tuned for the update!!! Oh, and please send some kind of review. One word is fine. Anonymous comments are accepted. Something, anything, please!!! Okay, done begging. Thanks!**


	8. Duncan's Plan

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Chapter 8: Duncan's Plan**

**Disclaimer: Marvel and the WB own them, not me.**

**A/N: Thanks so much for the lovely reviews. I know everyone's been waiting for Duncan's sinful plan, so without further ado, here it is!**

"**Speaking"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

**/note/**

xxxxx

While sitting in 7th period math class, Jean found it difficult to follow the teacher's lesson. She couldn't get her mind to escape thoughts of Scott. He sat beside her in calculus, just in her line of sight that she had to see him when looking at the teacher. Jean tried to convince herself that was why she'd been staring at him all period. It had nothing to do with him being her new pretend boyfriend.

Scott made her laugh. He was sitting in his seat dutifully taking notes as the teacher spoke, seemingly totally absorbed in the lecture. Jean didn't see the point of calculus. Yeah, she would learn what she had to for the test and would do well, but she didn't see any actual use for the material outside the classroom. For that reason, calculus didn't interest her. Instead she let her mind drift.

She'd somehow survived the week and half following her breakup with Duncan, which had been horrible since all kinds of rumors had been spread around school about her. School had gotten so bad she had, for a moment, been actually looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving break, something that Jean would never openly admit. Home was only a place where Jean desired to be if she wanted to get the idea of what it might feel like to repeatedly beat her head against a wall. Home meant she would be required to engage herself in maintaining the old Grey family name. Luncheons, teas, dinner parties, they were the norm, and attendance was mandatory. Mrs. Elaine Grey would accept no excuses, and Jean's head throbbed just at the thought of enduring another tedious garden party or banquet.

But now she dreaded going home for Thanksgiving in a few days because this week had been ten times better now that she was 'dating' Scott. The rumors dropped off about her once her classmates saw she was dating someone else.

Occasionally she'd still hear stray thoughts from students about how unbelievable it was that Ms. Honors Student, Star Soccer Player was dating the wallflower Scott Summers. But Jean was unaffected by such thoughts. She was relieved that her telepathy was no longer going berserk with rumors about Duncan and her. It appeared the student body had finally moved on, and for that, Jean was grateful.

At first she considered herself lucky, but, in reality, luck had nothing to do with it. Students were distracted from 'The Breakup' thanks to Scott's spontaneous idea that they pretend to date.

It had seemed like a ridiculous idea at first, she had to admit. But in truth it had been genius. The rumors had slowed down, and school had become bearable again. Plus, pretending to date Scott was getting...interesting. Now he would walk with her to classes, and they'd always sit together at lunch. They had basically taken the firm foundation they'd established as friends and bumped it to the next level. She liked this new level of friendship they'd formed. It was still just a friendship, right?

Jean couldn't deny the electricity she felt when they touched. Even an accidental brushing of hands would cause this bolt of energy to spread up her arm and straight into her heart, making it beat wildly. She had wondered before about this connection and whether she really liked Scott as more than a friend. Her conclusion had been it was only a crush. She wasn't ready for another relationship, especially with her best friend.

Even though they deemed it a fake relationship, they acted like a real couple. If they decided to switch gears and actually date instead of pretend, would their relationship change? Would she possibly lose her best friend if it didn't work out? She wasn't sure it was worth the risk.

She was getting worked up over nothing because she didn't know how Scott really felt about her anyways. And Scott wouldn't fall for the likes of her. He has always been focused on his responsibilities as team leader, and he'd be too concerned about what might happen to the team if they ever broke up.

As the teacher turned his back to write some formulas on the board, Scott passed Jean a note. She wondered what it could be. It wasn't like Scott to pass notes in class. She couldn't help but think it might be a love note.

Quickly she unfolded the note to read its contents but first laughed inside when she saw the chicken scratch Scott called his handwriting. It was funny that as anal-retentive as Scott was, his handwriting was ineligible. Turning the piece of paper around so she could read it, she decoded what he'd written.

/ Thought as my girlfriend, you were owed at least one note. What do guys ever write in these things anyways?

Scott

P.S. What did you get for the last practice question/

Jean had to stifle a laugh at Scott's post script. 'Friends it is,' she concluded, not sure if she was pleased or sadden by this realization. She picked up her pen to return the note.

/ They don't write about the lecture. haha.

Jean

P.S. 24x /

She handed him her response at the next opportunity. After a moment, Scott replied.

/ Sorry, I'm not good at this boyfriend thing. /

Instead of writing another reply, Jean used her telepathy to send her response. _Don't worry about the boyfriend thing. It's the thought that counts._

As the teacher was giving out the night's homework assignment, the bell rang signaling it was time to change classes and enter final period. Jean and Scott exited the classroom together. As Scott moved out of the way so Jean could cross the door's threshold first, he caught the soft scent of Jean's hair. It smelled like a mixture of spring flowers, and Scott inhaled deeply to take in more of its scent, attempting to implant the smell within his memory. He knew their relationship couldn't last forever, and Scott didn't know when Jean would say she was ready for them to "break up." Until then he'd decided to cherish every precious moment.

To distract himself, Scott began a conversation. "What did you think of today's class?"

"Thrilling," Jean replied sarcastically. "So thrilling I barely focused."

"Your telepathy acting up again?" Scott asked in a whisper.

Jean slightly blushed knowing the reason she wasn't paying attention in class was because she'd been thinking about Scott. "No, just normal boredom." Changing the subject, she continued, "And now I've got to go to shop class and try to build a rocket or something while you get to have fun in gym."

"Yeah, well gym class is a joke compared to our training with Logan."

Jean chuckled. "Running a marathon is a joke compared to Logan's training sessions." As they reached the point where they had to head in different directions to class, Jean said goodbye and that she'd meet him at her locker after class.

Before she had the opportunity to turn and walk away, Scott reached for her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. As soon as he did, he abruptly turned and walked off to class. The situation's awkwardness had Jean standing in the middle of the hallway as the warning bell rang, meaning she had one minute to get to class. It had happened so fast, she hadn't had a chance to respond. She almost thought she'd dreamt it. Did Scott Summers just kiss her then run away?

xxxxx

After shop class where Jean had miraculously managed to build the required rocket, she started walking towards her locker where'd she had planned meet Scott to drive home.

Then, out of the corner of Jean's eye she caught Duncan walking in her general direction. Momentary she thought about ducking into a classroom to avoid him, but then reconsidered. She couldn't evade the guy forever when they went to the same school. Better to have the inevitable scene out now than let emotions fester. She braced for the confrontation.

But when Duncan approached Jean, he surprised her. "I've been looking for you. Can I talk to you a minute?" His eyes showed no sign of anger or resentment and his smile appeared sincere, but Jean was still hesitant.

"Why should I talk to you when you've spent the last few weeks spreading rumors about me?" The resentment in her voice was conspicuous.

"An admittedly stupid move on my part," he said as he took a piece of her red hair and twirled it around his finger.

"Majorly." Jean stepped back slightly and used her arm to push Duncan's hand out of her hair.

"But I brought a peace offering." Pulling a single red rose from behind his back, Duncan handed it to Jean. He knew she had a soft spot for the classic, romantic flower and hoped it would have the same luck for him now as it had in the past. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Jean. I hope you know I never meant to."

"You know I'm dating Scott, right?" Jean accepted the flower, but still she was confused. This was certainly not any type of reaction she'd be expecting. Yelling, anger, jealous, those she expected. Romance and apologies she did not.

"I know," Duncan said with a rehearsed tone of hurt in his voice. "But I was hoping we could still be good friends. Can you please forgive me?"

Not sure how to respond, Jean stammered. "Duncan, what can I – I mean, I just don't think..."

Her attempt to respond was cut short as they turned the corner and saw Dan and Chris hovered around Jean's locker, snickering to each other. It appeared they were tampering with it in some manner, and a crowd had started to form to examine their work.

"Hey, what are you guys doing? Get away from my locker!" Jean exclaimed.

As they backed away, Jean could see what they'd done. In bright red spray paint they had written slut in capital letters down her locker.

"What did you do to my locker?!" Jean asked, astonished by their actions. She stepped towards them with anger in her eyes. "Why? What did I ever do to you?"

Dan spoke up to defend them. "We're only stating the obvious. You must be a slut if you go from sleeping with Duncan one week to Scott the next."

Jean managed to exclaim, "I never –" before Chris interrupted her.

"It's only fitting your locker is labeled so all us guys know how easy you are. Now all we need is your phone number." He and the small crowd gathered around them laughed.

By this time Jean's whole face had turned beet red, partly from embarrassment with all her classmates watching the escalating situation before them and partly from anger.

"What the hell were you guys thinking?!" Duncan asked, getting into Chris' face as they'd rehearsed. "Jean is no slut."

Trying unsuccessfully to break the guys apart, Jean said, "Duncan, please, let me handle this."

"Duncan, get real," Dan said. "She was probably cheating on you with Scott before she even broke up with you. They do live together, so the opportunity was there..."

"Woah, hold on a minute." Jean tried to defend herself but had a hard time being heard by the males in the pissing contest in front of her.

As Jean was struggling to be heard, Scott entered the hallway where he'd promised to meet Jean at her locker. He'd been thinking about how stupid he was for finally getting up the nerve to kiss Jean, but then cursed himself for handling it so awkwardly. He was convinced he'd never be able to tell Jean the truth about his feelings and had no idea how to act around her now that he'd mucked up the entire thing with his fumble of a kiss. But as he got closer to Jean's locker he realized something was going on. He struggled to fight the crowd and see what was going on, but he could hear everything perfectly.

Duncan turned to face Dan and interjected. "She wasn't responsible for our breakup, I was. It was my idiot behavior that drove her away. Now get that paint off!"

Struck by Duncan's words, Jean asked if he really meant what he'd said. "Of course. I was the one who didn't try to get to know your friends. I was the jerk, not you. I would have broken up with me too after the way I acted."

"Duncan, she doesn't deserve –" Chris tried to say.

"Did you not hear me?" Duncan asked. "Take the paint off NOW!"

Standing firm, Dan said, "Or what?"

"Or else your face is going to have a fight with my fists," Duncan said, raising his fists up as a threat. "And my fists always win."

As Dan raised his own fists in response to Duncan, Vice-Principal Stickly appeared. "Do we have a problem here, gentlemen? What happened to Ms. Grey's locker?" Before anyone had a chance to speak, he continued. "On second thought, let's continue this conversation in my office. Alright, people, show's over. Head to your buses, and go home." Turning to Duncan, Chris, and Dan, he continued. "Gentlemen, let's go."

As Duncan was leaving, he turned to Jean and mouthed the words I'm sorry with his practiced, pathetic look. Turning back to follow his friends to the VP's office, he smirked, knowing his plan had been a success.

As everyone began to disperse, Scott fought his way through the crowd to Jean's side. He hadn't caught what all had happened, but what he did see, he didn't like. Duncan, it appeared, had been standing up to his friends regarding Jean.

When Scott caught up to Jean, she was standing by her locker staring at Duncan's back as he walked away. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Duncan really did seem sorry for the way he'd acted before and was trying to redeem himself. He'd even given a heartfelt apology.

Scott hurriedly asked with a concerned tone, "What happened? Are you okay?" His voice changed to confusion when he noticed what Jean held in her hand. "What's with the rose?"

All she could say was, "You'll never believe it."

xxxxx

**A/N: I hope Jean isn't coming across too indecisive. Scott's just being his typical self and being unconfident in regards to his feelings with Jean, which is causing him to send mixed signals; whereas, Duncan is just plain playing her. Stay tuned to see what happens next when Scott and Jean finally go on a date! Also, please review and let me know your thoughts so far...you never know, they could influence the direction of the story!!**


	9. Date Night

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Chapter 9: Date Night**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Don't have an income. Pointless to sue.**

**A/N: Please let me know what you think of this pure Jott fluff. As always, much love to all my reviewers! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Feedback makes me smile. More HUGE thanks to my beta sister (every time I say that it sounds like my sister is a fish…) and CykePhoenixSummers for some idea tossing.**

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

Scott sat in the Institute's library after school tapping his pencil on the table. He was supposed to be doing his calculus homework, but he couldn't concentrate ever since giving Jean a ride home from school. He couldn't believe the story she'd told him about Duncan's antics that afternoon.

Afraid that Jean might believe Duncan's allegedly sincere apology, Scott figured he needed to do something STAT to fix the situation.

"Dude, knock off the drumming," Evan said sourly as he turned his attention back to his books. "I'm trying not to fail biology."

"Oh," Scott replied, dropping his pencil. He'd been unaware of the noise. "Sorry, Evan."

"You didn't notice?" Kurt asked from his seat on the couch where he'd been lounging and reading The Great Gatsby for English class. "Vere you that distracted by your homevork?"

Scott answered Kurt's question with another. "Did you guys hear what Matthews' friends did to Jean's locker today?"

"Ja, they used the biggest vord in their vocabulary they could spell," Kurt said sarcastically.

"Duncan also apologized to Jean for being a bad boyfriend or something along those lines," Scott said.

This caught Kurt's attention, and he sat up. "Do ya think she believes him?"

"I don't know. Jean's not gullible, but she always does give people the benefit of the doubt. I certainly don't believe him."

"Me either. Vhat are you going to do?"

"Do about what?" Scott asked, confused.

"What are you going to do about making sure she keeps you as a boyfriend and doesn't go running back to Duncan!?" Kurt exclaimed, thinking his question was obvious.

"Oh," Scott said, remembering that the team didn't know his relationship with Jean was a ruse. "Nothing, I guess."

Giving up on his homework for the time being, Evan joined in the conversation. "Look, man, what you got to do is show Jean a good time. Show her she's better off with you than Duncan. You know, go on a date."

"A date?" Scott repeated.

"Yeah, you know, one of those things where guy asks girl out, they do dinner and a movie or something, come home, share a kiss, the whole shebang," Evan said, mockingly stating the obvious.

Scott gulped. He knew Evan was right, but he was terrified. Sure, it seemed easy to Evan and Kurt, but they didn't know that Scott and Jean weren't really dating. 'Come on, Summers. You can do it. Ask the girl you've been falling in love with since the first day you met her on a date,' he mused. 'No problem. Piece of cake. Walk in the park.'

Kurt broke Scott's train of thought. "Do you know vhere you vant to go on a date?"

"Umm…no?" Scott was beginning to feel very overwhelmed by this entire prospect.

"I know!" Evan exclaimed. "You could go bungee jumping! That's would be a wicked experience she'd never forget."

"Yeah, if we didn't die in the process," Scott laughed.

"Vhat about a dinner and a movie?" Kurt suggested.

"Nah, too traditional." Evan answered for Scott. "These Dudley Do-Rights need some spice in their lives."

"If its spice they want, then they could go to an Indian restaurant," Kurt defended.

"Still too boring," Evan shot back. "Maybe something like a hot air balloon ride."

"Vhat is it with you and your obsession with the sky?" Kurt questioned.

Getting up from his seat, Scott said, "Thanks for the help guys, but I think I'll try to figure something out myself." But Evan and Kurt didn't hear him as they continued arguing about what kind of date would be best for Scott and Jean.

xxxxx

After dinner, Scott sat in his room, racking his brain trying to come up with a suitable date for Jean. He'd made a list earlier and was now reviewing his possibilities.

Movies? Too impersonal with no opportunity for conversation. He crossed it off.

Picnic? Too cold. Late November was no time for a proper picnic. It was removed from the list.

Hiking, biking, go karts, miniature golf? All activities they would engage in alone, just the two of them. Not that Scott didn't like the idea, but if he was going to convince Jean to go out with him, then their date would have to be where classmates would see them. He was sure he'd have to use the excuse that they were showing off their 'relationship' to get her on a date with him.

Finally an idea struck him. It was perfect. Bayville high school's football team had recently made the playoffs, and their first post-season game was at home this weekend. Scott was sure he could convince Jean to go with him to the game, since most of the school was going. Even though Duncan would be there, since he was the quarterback, Scott figured he might back off Jean if he saw her happy without him. Now all he had to do was ask his 'girlfriend' out.

Easier said than done.

Deciding that he better do it sooner rather than later, Scott got up from his bed where he'd been sitting and crossed the hall to Jean's room. After knocking softly, he heard Jean tell him to come in.

Once in the doorway, Scott realized he hadn't really prepared how he was going to ask her out. And now that he was in her room and she was looking up at him from her desk, he didn't have the opportunity to prepare anything.

"Hi, umm.…I was wondering, I mean, do you want to…no…" Flustered, Scott ran his hand through his hair and let it rest on his neck as he tried to find the right words.

She turned toward him. "Scott, is everything alright?" Jean asked gently.

"Yeah, it's just…would you like to go to the football game with me Friday night?" he finally blurted out.

"Sure, sounds like fun," she smiled. "Who's all going?"

"Umm…I don't know."

"Oh, well, we can ask the team later if they want to come with us," Jean said.

"Well, I was kinda hoping we could go just the two of us…you know, like a date."

"OH!" Jean finally realized why he'd been so awkward about asking her. "Oh my God, like a date."

"Yeah, but if you don't want to, that's fine."

Jean grinned at him, but Scott didn't see. He was too embarrassed to make eye contact with her. He continued in an effort to change her mind. "I was just thinking it would be a great opportunity to legitimize our fake relationship."

Jean's smile faded, and after a pause she spoke. "I see. Sounds like a good idea."

She thought she understood what Scott meant. He only wanted to take her out Friday night to help her fight the rumors at school, rumors that were bound to start again after the whole locker incident this afternoon. It wasn't the motive she had been hoping for, but she would take what she could get.

"Okay, well, it's a date then." Scott said, still sounding tense. "I'll let you get back to your homework." The door clicked softly behind him.

xxxxx

"So tell me again." Kitty directed at Scott. "We're all going to the game, but we have to take separate vehicles because…"

Scott finished the sentence for her with a smile, "Jean and I are going on a date."

"Good. I just had to hear you say it again." Kitty giggled, "I can't believe it's, like, actually happening!"

Scott and Kitty stood in the foyer waiting for the others to come downstairs and go to the game. As they finished talking, Kurt and Rogue began descending the stairs.

"Evan, come on, or we're going to leave without you!" Kitty shouted up the stairs. 

With that prompt, Evan can barreling down the stairs on his skateboard. "Woah, man, look out!"

Rogue and Kurt jumped in opposite directions in just enough time to avoid getting run over by Evan. "Hey, watch out!" Rogue cried.

"Evan, I wouldn't want to be you if you get caught by Logan riding your board around the mansion again," Scott warned.

"Good call, Cyke. He already threatened me with cleaning out the locker rooms for a month if he sees me again. I wouldn't mind sneaking around the girls' locker room, but definitely couldn't stand cleaning up all the blue hair in the boys' locker room."

"Hey, don't diss the fuz!" Kurt said. "Chicks dig it!"

"Whatever, Kurt," Rogue said. "Let's get outta 'ere. No use waiting for the beauty queen to finish up if we aren't even ridin' together."

"I'll go get Logan, so he can take us," Kitty offered. "Hey, guys, can I, like, drive to the game?"

A simultaneous "NO!" came from all three of them. They knew Kitty had a poor reputation when it came to driving. She'd only recently gotten her driver's permit.

Kitty sulked off with a pout while the others headed for the garage.

And with that, Scott was left at the base of the stairs waiting for Jean. He had convinced himself earlier that he was going to use this evening to show Jean the kind of respect she deserved from a boyfriend. That is, if she ever came downstairs so they could start their date.

Right as he checked his watch for the third time, he looked up and saw Jean rushing down the stairs. "I'm sorry I'm late. Taryn was on the phone with boy problems, and I couldn't find a polite way to let her go."

"No problem," Scott said as a smile spread across his face. "We're in no rush. You look great, by the way."

Scott's comment surprised Jean. "Thanks, but it's the same type of outfit I wear everyday."

"You still look great," Scott said, "just like you do everyday."

Jean blushed at his compliment. "Thanks."

And as he opened the door for his date, Jean and Scott headed out on their first date together, even if it was under false pretenses.

xxxxx

The night air was typical of late November and perfect game weather for many football enthusiasts. Jean and Scott found it freezing and sat on the bleachers together, huddled close under a blanket to keep warm. The rest of the X-Men team was around also, hanging out with their own friends. They had agreed during the ride over to give the two lovebirds their space, even though Logan had requested a full report on Scott and Jean's activities at night's end. They thought he was joking.

"So how's your hot chocolate?" Scott inquired.

"Hits the spot," Jean replied as she took another sip. "Thank you."

Just then Bayville's team scored a touchdown thanks to an amazing throw by Duncan to the wide receiver. The crowd roared with excitement, and Jean and Scott joined in, their school spirit overriding their feelings toward Duncan.

"I think Bayville could actually win states this year, don't you think?" Jean asked.

"Definitely if they keep playing the way they are tonight," Scott replied.

As the field goal was scored after the previous touchdown, the man sitting next to Jean jumped up, causing him to knock her hot chocolate all down the front of her jacket. Scott quickly pulled some napkins out of his pocket and handed them to Jean.

"I'm so sorry, miss! I didn't mean to jostle you. Let me buy you another drink, or at least give you money for dry cleaning," the man offered, reaching for his wallet.

"No, no," Jean insisted. "Please, don't worry about it," she said as she wiped at the chocolate on her jacket.

"Okay," the man replied. "But please let me know if you change your mind."

"We can share if you'd like," Scott offered Jean his hot chocolate after the man sat again. She smiled and thanked him as she took the cup he was handing her. She leaned into him as she blew on the steaming hot chocolate before drinking to prevent her mouth from being burned. Scott took the opportunity to put his arm around her and hold her close to him.

The evening passed quickly for both Scott and Jean, each enjoying the pleasure of each other's company. Conversation varied from football to music and from school to training. They spoke openly and freely with each other on every topic. Every topic that is, except about their true feelings for each other.

Occasionally Scott caught Duncan sneaking looks into the bleachers at them and hoped he got the message that Jean was not longer available. By the third quarter, Bayville was creaming the other team and Jean's teeth were chattering from the cold despite Scott's best efforts to keep her warm.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" Scott asked.

"I don't want to go home yet, if that's what you mean." Jean smiled up at him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Well…," Scott hesitated. "We don't have to go back to the Institute yet."

"What do you have in mind, Mr. Summers?"

He turned to her and smiled.

xxxxx

Fifteen minutes later they were cruising up the back roads of Bayville, enjoying the freedom of the open road.

"I often just come out here and drive whenever I need some time to think," Scott was explaining to Jean.

"This is a great car to do it in," she said.

The rode in silence for awhile, enjoying the peacefulness of each others' company. Suddenly, Jean ordered Scott to stop the car. He slammed on the brakes, thinking something was wrong.

"Jean, what is it? What's the matter?" He asked once the car had reached a full stop on the side of the road. Scott was surveying the roadway for a sign of what had caused Jean to cry out like she had.

"Look at those rolling hills over there. The way the moonlight shimmers off the grasses' dew," Jean commented. "Isn't it stunning?"

Scott let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Is that all? I thought we were under attack the way you reacted."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Jean laughed. "Now let's go!"

"Go? Go where?" Scott asked.

"To the hill. We can get a better look at the stars from there."

"Oh, of course," Scott said with a chuckle. "What was I thinking?"

As they raced across the street and up the short hill, Jean grabbed Scott's hand. When they finally reached the top, she released their contact and collapsed to the ground, extending her arms to the sky.

"It's a beautiful sight," Jean said, looking up at the stars.

"Yes, it is," Scott replied, not taking his eyes off her.

Jean redirected her gaze to look at Scott. "Come sit next to me." She patted the ground beside her.

"Don't you think we should get going. I'm sure we're trespassing."

"We'll only be a minute. No one is going to catch us at this time of night."

Unable to resist Jean's request, he joined her side. After a moment, Jean spoke. "So tell me something about you. Something no one else knows about you."

Leaning back on his hands, he said, "Hmm…I won't wear blue jeans."

"No, something meaningful," Jean coaxed. "Something real."

"I want to be a pilot," Scott looked up to the stars, "like my dad. And, you know, it's funny because you'd think after my parents' deaths I'd ever want to fly again."

"Oh, Scott."

"But I'd love to control a machine as massive as a plane. It's got to be ten times better than driving." He grinned at the thought.

"I'm sure the Professor would teach you how to fly the Blackbird if you asked him," Jean suggested.

Scott pondered. "Maybe I'll do that."

xxxxx

When they approached Jean's door back at the Institute, they didn't want the evening to come to a close. They'd stayed out on the hill gazing at the stars as long as they could until the cold became unbearable. They no longer had an excuse to avoid coming home.

"Thank you for a wonderful time tonight. I had a good time with you, like I always do." She smiled, and Scott's heart melted.

"Me too," Scott replied, taking a step closer to her so they were now only an arm length's apart. "It wasn't awkward like I was afraid it was going to be."

"No, it wasn't, was it?" Jean asked as much to herself as she did to Scott.

With his heart beating wildly, Scott leaned in for a kiss. The kind of kiss he wished he had given Jean before, but hadn't had the guts to follow through on. He savored the softness of her lips, kissing her with a tenderness that he hoped conveyed a fraction of his feelings for her. His gentle kiss seduced her lips until they parted, their tongues tangoing with the tastes and wonder of each other.

When they finally pulled away, both were breathless.

Without a word, Jean opened the door to her room and slowly closed it behind her. With the door shut, Jean leaned against it and sighed. 'Wow,' she thought.

Suddenly her cell phone rang. Without thinking, she answered it with a husky hello, still caught up in Scott's kiss.

"Hey, Jean. It's Duncan…."

xxxxx

**A/N: I must say I LOVE this chapter! I hope you do too. Nod to the ****jeanniexslim**** LJ group for the term Dudley Do-Rights regarding Scott and Jean. Thanks! Nod to UraniaChang for Kurt's comment about Dan and Chris' vocabulary. Double thanks! Please let me know your thoughts!!!! And don't kill me for the cliffhanger.…my beta 'made' me do it!**


	10. Confrontations

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Chapter 10: Confrontations**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; wish I did. 'Nuff said.**

**A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews so far! I tried to update asap but life gets in the way. Anyways, only a few more chapters to go, then onto new projects. Virtual cookies to my sister and CykePhoenixSummers for the beta help.**

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

When Scott awoke the morning after his first 'date' with Jean, he was all smiles. It didn't take but a moment for him to recall the previous night, especially the softness of her lips against his.

While still under his blankets, before his feet even hit the ground for the day, Scott Summers had decided to tell his redheaded 'girlfriend' his true feelings for her. No longer did he want a false relationship. He was ready for the real thing and hoped with all his might that after a date like last night's Jean would feel the same way. With his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling, he began to think of the proper way to make such a confession of the heart.

Then suddenly, Wolverine came storming vociferously into his room without so much as a knock. Scott jumped at the unwarned intrusion. There was a feral look in Logan's eyes has he rapidly scanned the room, apparently looking for something. Scott couldn't imagine what Logan was searching for, but quickly figured it out once he spoke.

Gutturally he growled, "Where is she?"

xxxxx

Jean was cursing herself the entire ride downtown to Bayville's one and only diner. After her amazing date with Scott last night she'd received a phone call from Duncan requesting to see her again. Without thinking clearly, which she entirely blamed on the kiss she'd shared with Scott two seconds before Duncan's phone call, she had agreed to meet up with him to talk – as friends.

While setting the X-Van's heat to high to fight the cold morning air, Jean recounted her phone conversation with Duncan. Apparently he'd had another run in with his father and wanted a friendly shoulder to lean on. Because he didn't feel comfortable discussing this personal issue with his friends, he had called Jean. He had figured it would be okay since she had said when they broke up that she'd always be there for him if he wanted to talk. With that argument, Jean didn't see how she could refuse.

Blowing her warm breath into one of her balled up fists to fight the cold, she decided there was no one to blame but herself for having to get up early on a Saturday morning to drive into town and have breakfast with her ex-boyfriend. But, she concluded, she didn't have to like it.

As she pulled into the diner's parking lot, she grabbed her cell phone to check the time. Seven o'clock. She shook her head at the early Saturday hour. 'The situations you get yourself into, Jean Grey,' she thought as she turned off the van's ignition and took a moment to collect herself before heading inside.

xxxxx

"Where is she?" Logan repeated, as he ripped the blankets off of Scott and his bed, half-expecting to see Jean hiding beneath them. He was half-relieved not to find her there sharing a bed with Scott, but that meant she was really missing. "Don't make me ask again," he snarled.

Although Scott was used to dealing with Logan's wild rampages, he'd never seen him quite so enraged outside of their missions. But he had little time to consider this as his thoughts turned immediately to Jean.

"Jean's missing?" Scott asked anxiously as he got out of bed. "She's not in her room?"

"That's what I said, pretty boy." Logan tossed Scott his pants that were draped across the back of his desk chair, so the boy would no longer be standing around in his boxers. "Seeing as she's not shacking up with you here, I'd like to know exactly where she is."

Scott blushed at Logan's reference to sharing a bed with Jean, but chose to ignore the comment and focus on finding his best friend instead. "Me too," Scott replied with concern. "It's not like her to take off without telling someone. You checked the kitchen, rec room, Danger Room?" Quickly he began to dress as he raddled off Institute locations.

"Everywhere, kid," Logan gruffly retorted. "Kitty went to her room this morning, and she wasn't there. I've been searching ever since."

"Does the Professor know?" Arbitrarily grabbing his shirt from last night, Scott pulled it over his head.

"Not yet. I didn't want to disturb him since I expected to find her in here where I'd have to kill you both. Didn't see any need to share that information with Chuck."

"I'll call her," Scott offered, reaching for his cell phone on the nightstand.

"I'll get Chuck," Logan said as he went to exit the bedroom. "Meet us at Cerebro when you're through."

Hitting his first speed dial, Scott placed the phone to his ear and listened, hoping and praying that Jean would pick up safe and sound.

xxxxx

Entering the small town diner, Jean decided she could have easily stayed in bed for another two hours. The bell above the door signaled her entrance, and Duncan spotted his ex-girlfriend immediately.

"Hey, Jean!" Duncan called from a booth by the window. "Over here." He waved as Jean turned her head to follow the voice and forced a smile. She decided at that moment it was time to drop her animosity for being forced to get up so early and rather become the good friend Duncan needed.

Seeing her ex, Jean sat down opposite him and began to remove her jacket, placing her cell phone she'd been carrying in her hand on the table. "Hi, Duncan," she greeted, trying to sound cheerful. "How are you?"

"Not good," he replied, attempting the best pathetic look he could muster. "But why don't I order you some breakfast at the counter before I tell you what happened," he suggested as he began to rise.

Not wanting Duncan to purchase her meal, since that would be too date-like, Jean placed her hand on his arm to keep Duncan from standing. "No, that's alright," she smiled. "I'll go order breakfast quickly, then we can talk. I could definitely go for some coffee." Getting up herself, she continued. "I'll be right back."

Duncan smirked to himself once Jean disappeared around the corner. His plan to win Jean's heart again was slowly working. First he'd coordinated phase one of his plan with the graffiti locker incident, and now it was time for phase two. After he told her his fictitious story about his father's abusiveness, he was sure she would be putty in his hands. Now all he had to deal with was getting Summers out of the picture.

With that thought, Jean's phone that had been haphazardly placed on their table started to vibrate. Not even attempting to fight the temptation to invade Jean's privacy, Duncan looked at the external display screen to see who was calling. Seeing Scott's name, he grinned devilishly. Looking up to make sure Jean couldn't see him, he took the call.

xxxxx

After several rings, Scott's call finally connected.

An amused male voice answered. "Hello, Summers."

Immediately recognizing the voice was not Jean's, Scott replied with a confused tone. "Who is this?"

"It's Duncan," he said with a grin that Scott couldn't see but he could certainly hear in his voice. "What can I do for you?"

Scott couldn't believe Jean was hanging out with Duncan, especially at this hour.

Unwilling to play games, Scott retorted. "Put Jean on the phone."

Obviously enjoying the conversation, Duncan continued. "I'm sorry, man, but she doesn't want to talk to you."

"I don't believe you," Scott snapped.

Sensing he was pushing the right buttons, Duncan continued pressing. "Why else would I have picked up the phone?"

Quickly becoming frustrated, Scott asked angrily, "Where are you?"

"Oh, I get it," Duncan smirked. "Your girl didn't tell you she was meeting me downtown this morning." Then, in a whisper, Duncan continued. "I guess today it's your turn for the sloppy seconds."

With that comment, Duncan got just the reaction he'd hoped for. With a barely controlled anger, Scott responded. "For your sake, Jean better be with you voluntarily –

Duncan interjected to clarify. "Oh, she is."

"- but either way, when I find you, you're going to wish you'd never spoken those words," Scott candidly threatened.

"I look forward to it," he sneered. "But until then I'm going to enjoy my breakfast with the sexy redhead in front of me."

At that, the line went dead. With fury in his eyes, Scott grabbed his wallet and keys and hastily left. He didn't know exactly where they were, but Duncan had let it slip that they were downtown somewhere eating breakfast, so he'd just have to find their cars. No matter what, he was determined to find Jean and set Duncan straight.

xxxxx

Duncan had flipped the phone closed to end his conversation with Scott just as Jean entered his sight. Inconspicuously he placed the phone back on the table.

"They said it will take a few minutes to prepare, so they'll call me up when it's ready," Jean commented about her order as she sat back down.

"Help yourself to some of my home fries in the meantime, if you'd like," Duncan offered.

"No, thanks. I can wait for mine," Jean responded. "But why don't you tell me about your fight with your dad. I don't see why he was upset with you after you played so well last night," she said honestly.

Fiddling with his straw wrapper, Duncan began. "It started with him hassling me for getting sacked so many times," he lied. "Apparently, in my dad's opinion, a quarterback should never been sacked if he wants to play college ball. He doesn't seem to realize that a large part of avoiding being sacked comes from your teammates."

"Right, right," Jean agreed, coaxing him to continue.

"From there it escalated from his typical verbal assaults to the point where he actually threw some punches at me." Duncan laughed inside at how easy it was for him to lie. He could see the concern in Jean's eyes and knew she sympathized with him.

"Oh my God, did he hurt you?" Jean inquired. Although she no longer wanted to date Duncan, she didn't wish physical harm upon him. There was no excuse for parental abuse, no matter what.

"Nah, nothing major. Just a few shots to the ribs." He faked playing down the pain. "That's when I called you. I needed to talk to someone." Duncan had hoped to melt her heart with that last line.

"I understand," she said supportively. "But don't you think you should talk to the police or someone? I don't know how much help I can provide."

From the counter came a shout, "Order number 12 is up!" The cook had just finished making Jean's breakfast, and it was ready for her to pick up.

"I'll get it," Duncan volunteered, jumping up to get her plate before she had a chance to respond.

xxxxx

After getting off the phone with Duncan, Scott had been fuming. But he had calmed down somewhat after talking to the Professor before he left. He had wanted to let the Professor know that he was leaving to find Jean, who he presumed to be okay since he doubted Duncan would physically harm her.

The Professor approved his departure but warned him not to act rashly and that there was likely a logical explanation for her absence. Scott considered those words as he sped out the mansion gates in search for Duncan and Jean.

Thankfully for Scott, Bayville was a small town, so he didn't have many places to look before stumbling upon Duncan's car and the X-Van at Bayville Diner. He pulled into a parking space where he could see into the diner. As he put the convertible in park, he spotted Jean at a window booth. She hadn't seen him, but Scott smiled at her anyway, happy to see she was safe.

But as he reached to remove his keys from the ignition, he saw Duncan slide into the seat beside Jean and offer her a plate of food. Deciding to heed the Professor's advice about not acting rashly, Scott stayed in the car to observe the scene playing out before him.

Seemingly ignoring her food, Jean turned to face Duncan, her back completely to Scott now. They appeared deep in conversation and sitting much too close for Scott's comfort. He didn't see why Duncan wasn't sitting opposite Jean in the booth like most people do.

The next thing Scott knew, Duncan was lifting his shirt and showing off his six-pack to Jean. She gently caressed his muscles before Duncan smiled and lowered his shirt. Jean then baffled Scott when she initiated a hug, and he caught Duncan whispering something in her ear.

That was it. Scott had seen enough. The Professor had been right. There was a logical explanation for Jean sneaking out of the Institute this morning. She didn't want to be caught cheating on him!

His plan had backfired on him. He'd recommended they secretly date in hopes that Jean would see she deserved a better man than Duncan Matthews, but in reality it had thrown her back into his arms. Mad at himself for ever thinking up an idea as crazy as Jean Grey actually falling for the likes of him, Scott started the car and speedily departed. He needed to get away from the diner as quickly as possible and collect his thoughts.

xxxxx

When Duncan arrived back at their table with her food, he spotted Summers outside in his red convertible. Deciding to pretend he hadn't noticed him, Duncan picked up a notch his moves towards Jean in an effort to tick off Scott. He began with surprising Jean by sharing her booth and sitting beside her. She ignored it for the moment since Duncan winced in apparent pain as he sat.

"I appreciate you taking the time so early on a Saturday morning to see me. I wish there was some way I could repay you," he said, setting the plate in front of Jean.

She ignored her food for the moment and instead turned her body to face Duncan, a serious expression on her face. "You don't owe me anything," she assured. "But are you sure you're okay? Do you need to go to a doctor? Or the hospital?"

"Nah, it's nothing. Really," he guaranteed her. "Let me show you." He lifted his shirt to reveal bruising. He'd actually gotten the bruises from football games and practices, but as far as Jean knew they were all from his father. After a moment he raised his shirt a tad higher to assure Jean got a full view of his muscular abs.

Jean used her fingertips to gently touch his bruises. "Does that hurt?" she inquired.

"Only a little," Duncan replied, showing a forced smile and lowering his shirt. "I'll just have to work harder to please my father so this doesn't happen again."

A surge of emotion rushed through Jean. Her heart had broken when Duncan presumed he somehow had to change his behavior to prevent future abuse. "You are in no way responsible for your dad's actions." She drew Duncan in for a tight embrace. "Don't for a second blame yourself."

While enjoying Jean's arms around him, Duncan whispered in her ear. "I can't go on without you."

Releasing their hug, Jean looked into his eyes. "I'm still here."

"I want you back, Jean," Duncan confessed, speaking from truth for the first time today. "You were the best thing in my life. Be my girlfriend again?"

"I – I can't, Duncan," she stammered. "I'm dating Scott now." Jean knew she was now lying, but there was no need to reveal it. Even though she and Scott weren't actually dating, she hoped she could convince Scott otherwise. She'd had such a great time last night that she'd have to be a fool to pass up the shot of an actual relationship with him. Plus, Duncan had proven himself to be nothing of a man compared to Scott.

"You can't honestly say that you have more fun with Summers than you do with me!" Duncan exclaimed.

"There's more to it than how much fun we have," Jean defended, her tone turning frosty. "He respects me and my friends because he was a friend first – a foundation you and I didn't have."

"But we're friends now," Duncan pointed out. He wasn't going to let Jean talk her way out of rekindling their relationship that easily, not when he'd worked so hard and waited so long for his plan to be put into action. "I even defended you against my own friends! I renewed your reputation in front of all those people! I _deserve_ a second chance."

"I'm extremely grateful that you stood up for me when you felt you needed to, but you can't expect me to ditch Scott and run back to you at the first sign of a change in you," Jean said earnestly, "especially when you had plenty of chances to change while we were dating."

She was quickly getting annoyed at Duncan's constant pressing. She'd made her decision, and he needed to accept it. She'd offered to come downtown and talk with him after his fight with his dad, but she had no intention on focusing the conversation on their relationship, or lack thereof.

Seeing his current method wasn't working, Duncan changed course. "You wouldn't turn down a guy that had just been hit by his father, now, would you?" he said with puppy dog eyes as he placed his hands on his bruised ribs, looking for sympathy.

He would get none from Jean. She was shocked he would use his abusive relationship with his father to entice her into dating him again. With attitude, Jean tried to reiterate her point. "Duncan, I can't believe you'd use such low tactic to try and get –"

Her words were interrupted by Duncan's lips as he swung his arms around her in a clumsy attempt at a passionate kiss. She attempted to push him away with her hands on his chest, but Duncan refused to break the kiss. Ultimately she had to resort to throwing some of her telekinesis behind a shove, which did the trick and released Duncan's hold on her.

"I think it's time for me to go," Jean said forcefully, hoping Duncan would move out of her way so she could exit the booth.

"I don't think so," Duncan said with a hint of anger in his eyes. He remained seated firmly in the booth. "I deserve a second chance. I've _earned_ it."

"You've earned nothing but my pity," Jean said with disdain, telekinetically propelling herself passed him. Turning before leaving she said, "I suggest you forget my phone number and rather call the police."

xxxxx

Jean arrived home from the diner more frazzled than when she left. She couldn't believe Duncan's audacity with his sly attempts to somehow win her heart. The idea that she would ever think of dating him again because she felt sorry for his physical abuse had her baffled. She hoped she was wrong, but couldn't fight the nagging feeling that Duncan's entire scandal was fictional, created with the sole purpose of getting her back. For an instant she'd considered reading his mind to get the truth, but her conscience, with the voice of Charles Xavier, warned her against such unethical behavior.

As a result of her encounter, Jean wearily entered the Institute's front door only to be greeted in the foyer by Scott. He was still wearing what he'd had on last night, but he didn't look nearly as cheery. He stood with his arms crossed and a stern look upon his face.

"We need to talk," Scott said flatly.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, knowing from his body language and tone of voice that it wasn't.

Without responding, he led her into the currently vacant rec room and shut the door behind them.

"How was breakfast?" Scott asked bitterly.

"Fine," Jean replied. She was confused until realizing she hadn't told Scott, or anyone else for that matter, where she was going. "How did you know where I was?"

He answered her question with one of his own. "What were you doing sneaking out of the Institute to meet up with Matthews?" his tone harsher than normal.

He still couldn't believe she had 'cheated' on him with Duncan. Duncan, of all people! Attempting to cool his temper before her return he had paced the foyer, but it had only made him more antsy. His pent up frustration was slowly leaking out.

Jean fought back with her own dose of fury. "You _followed_ me?!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't follow you," he retorted. "I tracked you down to make sure you were _safe_."

"I don't need your protection," she snapped. "I can take care of myself."

Scott huffed, crossing his arms. "Not very well if you run right back into Duncan's arms the first opportunity you have. If you wanted to end our relationship, why didn't you just tell me?"

"Relationship? What relationship?" Jean questioned, the venom still in her voice. "We aren't even really dating! You're _not_ my boyfriend."

"Not any more, I'm not." Although there was anger in his voice, there was hurt in his eyes. Hurt that was shielded from Jean's view by his ruby quartz glasses. "I'm through being your pretend boyfriend – the backup until another, better model comes along."

"Scott, you're delusional," she said icily. "I can't believe you don't trust me." Getting frustrated, she pinched the bridge of her nose to fight the tension that was mounting there. "I can't have this conversation any longer."

"Good, because I'm done," he declared, storming out of the room, leaving Jean in the room alone and irritated.

xxxxx

**A/N: Please read and review! Every time a review is sent, an angel gets its wings.**


	11. Operation JOTT

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Chapter 11: Operation JOTT**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; wish I did. 'Nuff said.**

**A/N: One more chapter and an epilogue to go after chapter 11. I can't believe it's almost over! Thanks for all the reviews! Bow to the beta.**

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

xxxxx

Saturday morning had started off as most weekend mornings do for Kitty. After sleeping in until her heart's content then reading a chapter or two of her latest English book, she headed downstairs to make herself pancakes for breakfast. On this particular morning, she walked into the kitchen debating whether to add chocolate chips or strawberries to her pancakes and saw Kurt buried, chest deep, in the refrigerator.

"Kurt, if you need to, like, cool off just go outside," she teased.

Kitty's voice had startled the fuzzy elf, causing him to jump and bang his head in the refrigerator. "There's nothing to eat," he said with half a whine.

She rolled her eyes. "Get the milk and eggs. I'll share my pancakes with you."

"Sveet! Thanks."

As Kitty was reaching for the bowl she'd need to mix her ingredients and Kurt placed his refrigerator findings on the counter, they both heard the distinct sound of shouting coming from the direction of the rec room. To both of their surprise, it sounded like Scott and Jean. They exchanged glances.

"That can't be vhat it sounds like," Kurt said, instantly curious.

Kitty's eyes lit up with interest and concern. "There's only one way to find out."

With that, both young X-Men took off – Kurt by teleportation and Kitty by phasing through the kitchen door. Although they could hear fairly well from the middle of the foyer, they faced each other with their ears pressed against the dark oak door in hopes of hearing more.

Scott's voice was the first to be made out. "Not very well if you run right back into Duncan's arms the first opportunity you have. If you wanted to end our relationship, why didn't you just tell me?"

Both Kurt and Kitty lifted their ears from the door in shock. "Jean was cheating on Scott?" Kurt asked, his eyes widening. "No vay!"

"Like, never in a million years," Kitty defended. They both returned to their position against the door to hear Jean's response.

"Relationship? What relationship? We aren't even really dating! You're _not_ my boyfriend."

Now Kitty was bewildered. "What? Did they break up and nobody tell me?"

"Not as far as I know," Kurt replied in a whisper.

"Not anymore, I'm not. I'm through being your pretend boyfriend – the backup until another, better model comes along," Scott declared.

"Pretend boyfriend!?" Kitty and Kurt exclaimed simultaneously.

Kitty placed her hands on her hips. "Here is definitely something they aren't telling us."

"Jah," Kurt replied. "That'z for sure,"

"We, like, have to find out details!"

"Hmm, maybe there's a good reason vhy they didn't tell us. Did you think of that, Kitty?" It wasn't often that Kurt had a stronger voice of reason than the Shadowcat, but in times like this when hot gossip was generating about her best friends in front of her eyes – or ears – Kitty lost sight of her typically strong logic.

Distracted by their own conversation, Kurt and Kitty panicked when they heard Scott's angry voice and what sounded like his footsteps as he hastily headed for the exit. Aware they were about to be found, Kurt offered to teleport them away.

"No, talk to Scott. Comfort him," Kitty ordered quickly as she began to phase through the wall beside the rec room door.

"Jah, bad idea," Kurt pleaded with his eyes. He didn't want to be around when an upset Scott found him eavesdropping on his fight with Jean. "Boys don't talk about their feelings."

"Then get details," she ordered before disappearing.

With her departure, Kurt decided he'd teleport himself away. He didn't have to listen to Kitty. But right before he could execute his mutant ability, Scott flung open the rec room door, knocking Kurt to the floor.

Kurt got up and dusted himself off, inspecting his knees. "Woah, man, vatch the fuzzy dude!"

"What are you doing back there?" Scott demanded when he saw Kurt behind the door, the anger from his fight with Jean still evident in his voice. He was astonished by Jean's behavior and her dedication to Duncan. Unable to take it anymore, he'd stormed out in hopes of taking his aggression out in a safer environment. He didn't have the patience to deal with Jean now or even Kurt, for that matter. He raised a hand. "Never mind, I don't care. Where's Logan?"

"Logan?" Kurt asked, scratching his head. "How'z he involved in your fight with Jean?"

"He's not." Scott said bitterly, his patience wearing thin. "Do you know where Logan is or not?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Vhy?"

With Kurt's response, Scott started for the hall. He figured he'd start his search downstairs since Logan was known for spending his free time working on his bike. "I need to train in the Danger Room."

Kurt followed after him, trailing his flank. "You vant to practice? _Voluntarily_?"

"I need to let off some steam. The Danger Room is the safest place." His argument was rational but the quickness of his gait and his clenched fists were clear cut signs of his anger and hurt. Murmuring, he said, "I can't believe she cheated on me – with _him_."

"Are ya sure she cheated? I mean, it seems so unlike Jean to hurt or betray anyvone – especially you." Kurt inquired in a friendly, non-threatening tone. It's not that he didn't trust Scott's word, but the accusation was so out of character for the notoriously loyal Jean Grey.

Scott stopped and turned to face Nightcrawler. Using his pointer finger to press on Kurt's chest, he emphasized his words. "I _saw_ them together. I may see shades of red through these glasses but they don't _distort_ my vision. She snuck out of the Institute this morning to _paw_ at _Duncan_. I saw it clear as day."

Kurt raised his hands, surrendering the topic. He'd considered himself off the hook of Kitty's unwarranted demands and was anxious to get away from his uncharacteristically angry field leader. "Vhatever you say, Cyke. I believe you."

With that, Scott turned back around and continued his hunt for Logan. He couldn't wait to get into the Danger Room and release his optic blasts on anything that dared cross his path.

xxxxx

Kitty found Jean standing in the middle of the rec room looking dumbfounded and exhausted after Scott's departure. Without hesitating, she walked over to Jean with a concerned look upon her face. "Like, what happened with you two? Kurt and I heard shouting from the kitchen."

"Oh, Kitty, I don't know." Defeated, Jean sat down on the couch and began to rub her temples, wishing her newly formed headache would go away. "Everything spun out of control."

Kitty sat down on the couch's opposite end facing Jean, anxious to get details. "I heard some of your…hmmm, disagreement. What's this about a pretend boyfriend?"

"A horrible idea that turned out even worse in action," she moaned. Jean hesitated for a moment before continuing her story, debating whether or not to let the secret out. Ultimately she figured there was no longer a reason to hide it and began to tell her story. "I'm embarrassed to even admit it now, but Scott pretended to be my boyfriend to calm the rumors at school. All the rumors Duncan and others spread were making my telepathy go crazy, so we thought we'd fix it by faking a relationship. It worked for awhile, but…"

"I can't believe you, like, didn't tell me!" Kitty gasped.

"We decided nobody should know the truth in an effort to keep it a secret. It wasn't personal," she assured. "But then I went to see Duncan this morning because he needed to talk, so I offered to listen – as a friend. And, get this, Scott followed me to breakfast and spied on me. Accused me of cheating on him when we aren't even dating. Can you believe it?" Jean certainly didn't believe Scott's audacity in making such an accusation. He obviously didn't know her, because she'd never cheat on anyone, especially on someone she considered her best friend.

"Did you tell Scott why you went to see Duncan?" Kitty inquired, trying to make sense of the argument.

"No, I didn't get a chance to, but that's fine by me. If he doesn't trust me, then he's not the best friend I thought he was."

Jean's tone had been unemotional, but Kitty could sense the hurt in her eyes. Jean really did love Scott, but she didn't want to admit it either to him or herself. "You're, like, not friends anymore, just like that?"

Although before the fight Jean had hoped their fake relationship could become real, she'd been so hurt by his accusations and lack of trust, she wasn't sure they could even remain friends. Jean sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what we are anymore."

Kitty leaned into the couch and pondered what Jean had just told her. She knew the two loved each other because she could see it in their body language when they were together. They complimented each other so well that they simply belonged together. There had to be a way to get Scott and Jean back together. She needed a plan. It was time for Operation JOTT.

xxxxx

Later that same evening, Kitty sat in the rec room with Rogue and Kurt. She'd wrapped a blanket around her legs and made herself comfortable for the evening, but she would have been more comfortable if Rogue and Kurt would stop giving her a hard time.

"Tell me again vhy ve're doing this?" Kurt asked as he placed the DVD Kitty had rented in the player.

Kitty sighed knowing she'd have to give her explanation yet again. These two just didn't understand the interworkings of relationships. "We all know that Jean and Scott are, like, perfect for each other, even though they pulled that whole fake relationship thing." She waved her hand in the air, suggesting their pretend dating was an insignificant detail. "Anyways, after their…let's call it, misunderstanding, they're totally ignoring each other. It's, like, our job – our duty – as X-Men to fix the situation and, like, have them see they really love each other."

"How do ya know what they feel for each other?" Rogue retorted. She'd grabbed the bowl of buttered popcorn from the coffee table and placed in her lap. "Maybe Jean still likes that dimwit jock, or maybe Scott has his eye on someone else."

"I don't think so, 'cause you can't fake love," Kitty replied matter-of-factly. "And I, like, saw it between them when they were dating."

"Pretend datin'," Rogue corrected, throwing a few kernels in her mouth.

"Whatever." Kitty pulled her legs up under her and leaned on the couch's arm to reach over and take a handful of popcorn from Rogue's bowl. "Just run with the plan, okay? I invited Jean downstairs, and Evan invited Scott. Both agreed they'd come. We'll make them sit next to each other, then, like, halfway through the movie we'll all realize we have somewhere to be, leaving the lovebirds alone to confess their true feelings for each other." Kitty smiled at the simple genius of her plan.

"Great plan," Rogue mocked.

"Oh jah, that'z not conspicuous," Kurt teased, lounging on the floor in front of the TV.

"Shh! I hear someone coming," Kitty warned. "Like, pretend we're talking about something else!"

When Jean entered the room, Rogue followed Kitty's order. "Eww, Kitty, you're so gross! No one cares 'bout your fantasies of Lance lickin' chocolate sauce off ya." She gave Kitty a devilish grin.

Kitty turned her head sharply and glared at Rogue before Jean could notice. Rogue only shrugged, knowing she had done exactly what Kitty had asked for – technically.

"Yeah, well, you know me and my love for chocolate," she said through gritted teeth.

"And I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Jean smirked. "So, what movie are we watching?"

"A Hugh Jackman flick," Kitty replied with a smile returning to her lips, happy the subject had been dropped.

"Which one?" Jean sat next to Kitty and pulled her legs up on the couch so she was sitting with her feet crossed in front of her.

"Does it matter? He's, like, so hot."

Jean laughed while taking some Twizzlers from the coffee table. "Touché."

Still on the floor, Kurt turned his body away from the TV so he could face his female team members. "I don't see vhy you girls like him so much."

"You're just sayin' that 'cause Scrubs' Dr. Cox constantly insults him," Rogue stated. "The thang I don't get is why we have ta watch a romantic comedy. Why couldn't it have been a thriller or science-fiction?"

Kurt raised a finger in the air. "Jah, good point, Rogue."

"You could have ridden with Kitty when she drove to Blockbuster." Jean offered with a teasing tone and raised eyebrow, knowing Kitty had a reputation for being a hazardous driver.

Rogue shook her head while Kurt exclaimed, "Jah, no. I value my life!"

"Hey!" Kitty chirped. "I so totally resent that."

"Resent what?" Evan asked from the doorway. He'd just entered with Scott who he'd been shooting hoops with before the movie.

Evan still carried the basketball with him and, eyeing the empty armchair, dribbled quickly to the seat and jumped into it. Kitty had informed him of Operation JOTT, requiring him to leave the seat available next to Jean. Scott would then be forced to sit next to her during the movie.

"They, like, think I'm a bad driver!" Kitty cried in disbelief.

"Now why would we think that?" Evan sarcastically asked. "Has nothing to do with the time you rammed the X-van into the mansion gates or the time you hit a parked car, right?"

"That car was, like, totally sticking out of its parking spot!" She huffed, crossing her arms. "Anyone could have hit it."

"Kitty, it vas a cement truck," Kurt put in. "It's kinda hard not to see those 'sticking out.'"

As soon as they had entered the room, Scott noticed Jean there. He wasn't sure whether or not he should stay. He'd burned off most of his anger with Logan in the Danger Room and released more energy while playing basketball with Evan, but he was still hurt by Jean's behavior earlier.

Standing between Rogue's red armchair and the matching couch, Scott placed his hand on the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable. "You know, guys, I don't think I'm in the mood for a movie tonight. I think I'll go do some work."

Kitty had expected some resistance from Scott or Jean, so she was prepared. "No, you so can't go! It's movie night with the whole gang. If you leave then, like, the whole gang won't be here."

Scott looked over at Jean where she was seemingly studying the DVD remote, obviously avoiding eye contact with him. "I don't know." He was trying to think of a better excuse for escape but was coming up blank.

"Oh, just sit ya butt down. Takin' two hours out of your life won't harm ya any," Rogue insisted.

With no way out, Scott gave in. Noticing that the only seat available was on the couch next to Jean, he opted for the floor.

Once Scott was seated, Evan said, "Yo, man, you're blockin' my view." He inconspicuously winked at Kitty. "Can't you sit on the furniture like a normal person?"

"Hey!" Kurt replied from the floor.

"We already know you aren't normal, Kurt," Kitty giggled. "That's why we love you."

Sighing, Scott got up. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked Jean.

"I have no intention of dictating where you sit," she replied offhandedly.

"Gotta be careful. I don't want to be accused of hovering over you – following you or anything," he jeered, sitting at the end of the couch as close to the arm as possible so he wouldn't risk physical contact.

Jean crossed her arms. Ignoring Scott's comment, she started the movie by turning down the lights and beginning the DVD, all with her telekinesis. The X-Men watched in silence until Hugh Jackman appeared shirtless onscreen. Kitty's uncontrollable giggling and Kurt and Evan's moans of disapproval brought Logan into the room.

Eyeing the TV, he asked, "What the heck are you kids watching?"

"A movie," Rogue responded.

Logan pointed to the screen with his thumb where a man was apparently prancing around an apartment half naked. "Is taking off his shirt this guy's only talent?"

Evan figured now was as good a time as any to execute their exit strategy for Operation JOTT, plus he couldn't wait to get away from this chick flick. "Hey, Logan, while you're here, do you know where Aunt Ororo is? I have to ask her a question about my biology class."

"In her green house, kid."

"Wicked." Evan picked up his basketball and left the room, followed quickly by Logan who had had enough of the Hugh Jackman movie.

Kitty knew another one of them would have to wait a few minutes before leaving as to not arouse suspicion, so she attempted conversation that might get Jean and Scott thinking about their relationship. "You know, I totally don't agree with this movie. Like, boys aren't really like animals at all 'cause for the most part they're thoughtful and romantic. Not that they, like, don't slip up occasionally, but you know. Don't you agree Jean?"

Turning to Kitty so she couldn't see Scott's reaction, she said, "I don't know, I kinda relate to this movie. Some men can be real bulls – stubborn, overprotective, untrusting…."

"Hmm, I don't think that's the point the movie is trying to make –" Kitty began only to be interrupted by Scott who had stood up to face Jean on the couch.

"Okay, maybe I'm overprotective, but it's my job to take care of this team both on missions and off. And I'm only stubborn about the truth when I'm being lied to. I did trust you until you broke that trust."

'Oh, no, this is so not what I had planned,' Kitty thought. "Guys, can we, like, just get back to the movie."

But Jean and Scott were not done arguing. Kitty had opened a flood gate and their pent up anger and resentment came pouring through for the second time today. Jean stood up so she was face to face with Scott. "_I_ broke it?! You're the one that followed _me_!"

Rogue unsuccessfully tried to angle her head around the quarrelling pair. "Hey, love sick pups," she stated loudly while batting her arms to signal they should move, "go have ya argument elsewhere. Some of us are tryin ta enjoy Hugh on HD."

Ignoring Rogue, Scott shot back at Jean. "I'm not blind. I saw you with your hands all over him!"

"We were friends," she insisted. "We were only _talking_!"

"About what?!" Scott snapped.

Kurt whispered loudly to Kitty. "Abort, abort!" causing Kitty to shoot Kurt a withering look.

Jean crossed her arms. "I can't tell you."

"Why?" Scott glared at her, outraged at her loyalty to Duncan.

"I promised to keep it a secret," she said firmly. "It's personal."

"So having secrets with an ex-boyfriend gives you the right to be intimate with him – friends with benefits maybe?"

"Oh, this won't end well," Rogue commented to no one in particular.

"You're being thickheaded, Scott Summers! You have no idea what you're talking about. I was offering comfort." Tired of arguing yet again, Jean decided it was time to escape to her room. "I shouldn't even have to explain myself. I'm going to bed." Turning to the others, she said good night and left.

Kitty immediately got up to follow Jean while Scott collapsed onto the couch, defeated. Scott ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't believe he'd let his emotions overcome him again today, but it was all because he loved her.

"So…that vent vell," Kurt announced with awkward sarcasm.

The only response he got was a rainstorm of popcorn thrown at him by Rogue.

xxxxx

When Kitty reached Jean's bedroom, she hesitated before knocking. Her hand was inches from the door. She wanted to go in and comfort Jean but didn't want to screw up her words again. Feeling partly responsible for their last fight, Kitty felt she had to do something.

While she was still standing outside internally debating, she heard Jean tell her to come in. Slowly she opened the door. "How did you know it was me?"

Jean pointed at her head before curling up atop her bed.

"Oh, right," Kitty replied, remembering Jean's telepathy allowed her to scan for her teammates' presence. Taking a seat next to Jean, she asked, "Like, do you want to talk about it?"

"Why does he have the ability to reduce me to the age of a thirteen year old?" Jean asked, grabbing a pillow and hugging it in her arms.

"Because you like him," Kitty replied flatly. Jean didn't respond, so Kitty kept prodding. "Did you ever think of, like, _why_ Scott got so mad about you meeting up with Duncan? Did you ever consider that maybe he's jealous of him?"

"What does he have to be jealous of?" Jean questioned.

Kitty gave her a look suggesting Jean knew exactly why Scott would be jealous.

"He can't really like me." It was phrased as a statement but came across as almost a question.

"I think he does, why else would, like, Mr. Practical come up with such a ridiculous idea like pretend dating you. He was too nervous to really ask you out, so he totally took the easy route," Kitty said, certain she was right. She rose to leave but turned when she reached the door. "The question is, how much to you like him?"

"When did you get so smart about relationships?" Jean smirked.

"A lot of TV and reading," Kitty joked. "And some really smart friends," she said smiling at Jean.

"Yeah, some of us have better moments than others" she replied somberly.

xxxxx

**A/N: Next chapter brings it all home. See how Scott and Jean deal with their feelings for each other and how all the plot points tie up. Also, please don't forget to review!!! Thank you!**


	12. The Art of Communication

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Chapter 12: The Art of Communication**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; wish I did. 'Nuff said.**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, but Easter threw me for a loop. To make up for it, I've included the final chapter and epilogue in one post. Hope that helps! Thanks to all reviewers and my beta.**

"**Spoken"**

'**Thoughts'**

_**Telepathy**_

**Brief Summary (because it's been awhile since I updated):**

**Scott and Jean have been having trouble communicating lately with each too stubborn to hear the other out. Scott thinks Jean cheated on him while they were in their fake relationship, and Jean is annoyed Scott followed her to breakfast with Duncan. The younger X-Men found out about the breakup and fake relationship, and unsuccessfully tried to get them back together. Scott is mad at himself for letting his emotions get the better of him, while Jean is mulling over the assertion Kitty made stating Scott likes Jean and she likes him.**

xxxxx

Scott had wanted to talk to Jean about their recent run-ins, but he didn't have the words. He wasn't sure how he wanted to handle the situation. Sure he loved her, he had no doubt about that, but she didn't love him. She'd made that perfectly clear when she ran off with Duncan. Somehow he'd have to find a way to get them back to how they were before – just friends. He'd have to settle for that because he couldn't imagine his life without her in it.

On mostly a subconscious level, Scott had spent all day Sunday under the hood of his car tinkering. He claimed to all that inquired he needed an oil change, being that it had been 3,000 miles since his last one. Most considered the recommended 3,000 mile oil change as just that, a recommendation, but to Scott it was a requirement. He didn't see the point of having nice things if you weren't going to take care of them.

He hadn't planned on being outside all day, but it had happened. Once he'd had his hands dirty, his mind had wandered, losing track of time in the mechanics of his engine. He hadn't even realized the sun had set until after seven o'clock.

When he'd gotten up Monday morning and headed to school, he learned Jean had already left. She had signed up to help decorate for the football team's state championship pep rally. Her committee members always asked her to hang up the high posters because she wasn't afraid to climb the tall ladders, but little did they know the reason was Jean could always steady herself using her telekinesis, eliminating the fear of falling.

So he'd gone to school without her and somehow managed not to run into her all day. He was still trying to convince himself that he wasn't outwardly avoiding her, they just hadn't crossed paths. It wasn't until after 6th period when Scott was reaching into his locker to grab his calculus book that he realized he could avoid her no longer since he'd be sitting beside her in calculus. Scott mentally braced himself, knowing he'd have to come up with something to say, the question was what.

Out of the corner of his eye, Scott saw Kurt rushing towards him, his backpack bouncing off his shoulders with each step. "Scott, vhere's Jean?!"

Scott expected the worst in an unknown situation. He replied, placing a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Why? What's wrong?"

Kurt was huffing as he tried to catch his breath after running the halls to find Jean. "I told you she vould never cheat, but did anyvone listen to the elf? Nooo, the blue dude knows of nothing."

"What are you talking about?" Scott furrowed his eyebrows.

"Jean." Looking up at his friend's face, he continued. "She didn't cheat. I heard Duncan talking in the locker room, right after gym class. He's been telling her about his abusive father."

"Wow." Jean had told him Duncan was having personal issues, but he didn't imagine they would be that bad. He suddenly felt very foolish for not trusting her. "No wonder she wouldn't tell me," he said while shutting his locker.

"No, that's not it," Kurt clarified, shifting his backpack so it sat more comfortably. "He's lying."

"You mean, it's not true? Does Jean know?"

"Duncan claims she's clueless." The urgency in Kurt's tone amplified. "The sob story is supposed to vin Jean back. Ve have to find her."

With that, the bell rang for class, and the movement of students scurrying to class quickened as they realized they were late. "I have calc with her, so I'll tell her."

Satisfied his field leader would be true to his word, Kurt's concern look transformed with a smile as he turned to run to class.

xxxxx

Jean sat in her assigned seat in calculus and reviewed her notes one last time before the day's exam. She was really anxious, which wasn't unusual before a test, but this time she welcomed it because worrying took her might off Scott Summers, if for only awhile.

She'd been thinking a lot lately about what Kitty had told her the other night. Maybe Scott really did like her, and that's why he'd gotten so mad. Wasn't that the reason she'd been furious when he'd spied on her? If it had been Evan or Kitty or anyone else, she wouldn't still be mad, but it hadn't been them.

It was Scott.

He was her best friend, and she loved him. The question Kitty had asked was how much? She shook her head. She didn't have time to think about Scott when she had an exam in two minutes.

While attempting to memorize what seemed like the fiftieth calculus formula, she heard the final bell ring. Looking up she noticed Scott wasn't in his regular seat and scanned the room for him.

The teacher cleared his throat in hopes of gaining students' attention. "Now, everyone remove your notes and textbooks from your desk, and prepare for the exam."

Groans were heard around the classroom as students shuffled to pack up their belongings. But Jean was concentrating on Scott. It wasn't like him to be late.

"Ms. Grey, your notes." The dark haired teacher said while looking over top the glasses he had perched on his nose. Jean thought he had the look of a scholarly professor who instead of ending up at a college or university, had somehow gotten trapped in a high school filled with wild monkeys.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, Mr. Johnson." She removed her notes from the desk and placed them in her book bag. With her notes out of sight, Mr. Johnson handed her the test. Without a conscious thought, she put her name on the exam in her feminine script.

Jean Grey Summers.

'Oh my God, what did I just do?' Frantically she erased it, but she swore she could still read the name. Jean Grey Summers.

Staring at the faded signature now partly erased, Jean realized through the course of this entire fiasco with Duncan, rumors around school, pretend dates, and silly misunderstandings, she'd fallen in love with the boy wearing ruby quartz glasses.

Although unable to pinpoint exactly when her feelings had grown from friendship to a romantic level of love, she knew now, staring at that name, that the fights she'd had with him were not over who was right or wrong but rather a mask of angst created to shield her true feelings for him. This realization made her blush, and she regretted having to write her name again atop the Summers last name.

She felt as if all eyes were on her even though she knew the other students would be focused on their tests. As she looked up to make sure no one had noticed her red face, she saw Scott hurriedly enter the room.

"Mr. Summers, you're late," the teacher stated obviously, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Don't make it a habit."

"Sorry, Mr. Johnson." Sliding into his seat he assured, "It won't happen again."

Wordlessly he handed Scott an exam. As he took his seat, he turned to Jean and noticed her flush face. "Are you okay?"

She only nodded, unable to find the words to say to the boy she'd finally had the courage to admit to herself she loved.

Not wanting to talk during an exam, Scott turned to telepathy and projected. _We need to talk after class._

Looking at him, but not speaking, she replied. _I need to talk to you too._

Although for slightly different reasons, neither one focused well during their exam. After forty minutes of struggling to maintain concentration, the bell sounded to signal the class had ended and tests were due.

As Scott met Jean at the front of the classroom to tell her his news about Duncan, Mr. Johnson spoke. "Mr. Summers, can I see you for a minute please? You took a minute of my time arriving late. Now I want a minute of yours."

Struggling to hold back a sigh at the setback, Scott turned to Jean. "I'll be just a minute. Meet me outside?"

Jean smiled and nodded. "I'll be right here in the hallway."

As she waited, she hoped Mr. Johnson wouldn't hold him long because she needed to talk to him. No longer did she want them arguing over some petty fight. She loved him and wanted to be with him. It was time to tell him the truth – about everything. Even if she had to strap him down in a chair with her telekinesis, Scott was going to hear her out. She hoped he'd forgive her and allow them to start over.

Scott walked with a determined gait as he exited the classroom and spotted Jean outside the doorway, as she'd promised.

Simultaneously they said, "We need to talk."

They laughed at each other, but Scott was the first to stop, his tone turning solemn. "I know ladies should go first, but I have to tell you something."

Jean's expression immediately changed. "Is everyone alright?" As one of the X-Men, thoughts of her teammates wellbeing was almost always the first thought when bad news was expected. It was a shame to so often jump to such a conclusion as a teenager.

"The team is fine, it's just, well –" Before class, Scott had been so determined to tell Jean about Duncan. At first the thought had thrilled him because he could finally show her what a creep Duncan was, but now, looking into her eyes, he hated to hurt her. He was convinced she loved Duncan and imagined she'd be crushed by the news he was about to give. Taking a deep breath he spoke. "Duncan's been lying to you. Kurt overheard him bragging about how his story about his father was made up –"

"I figured as much," she interrupted an unhearing Scott.

"– to make you feel sympathy for him. Wait. What?" He ran his hand through his hair and cocked his head in puzzlement.

She laughed. "Scott, I don't always have to use my telepathy to know whether or not I'm being lied to. Granted, I didn't know for sure, but I had my suspensions."

He let his hands fall to his sides. "I'm sorry for not trusting you. I should have known you'd never do anything to hurt me."

"You're right. You should've known," she confirmed. "But I shouldn't have gotten as mad as I did when you followed me. You were only trying to look out for me, which is what makes you such a good leader." Before her head warn her of the risks she was posing to her heart, she said, "I'm in love with you, Scott."

"What?" Scott asked, disbelieving.

Now that her brain had control again, she hesitated in responding, apprehensive about exposing her heart again to the risk of rejection. "Never mind," she said looking down.

"You love me?" Scott repeated, afraid he was hallucinating.

"Yeah, maybe," Jean said, crossing her arms so they could shield her pounding heart.

Knowing now that he'd heard her correctly before, Scott smiled. "I'm in love with you too, Jean." Placing a palm aside her head, he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, enjoying the softness of her skin. "Do you forgive me?"

"Yes, of course," she smiled up at him, searching behind his glasses for his eyes she couldn't see. "Do you forgive me?"

"On one condition," he smiled cleverly and paused a moment. "We date for real."

Jean opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Duncan shouting at them from down the hallway. As he approached they could hear him say, "I know what you all are up to. I heard about some stunt you two are pulling, pretending to date. Who do you think you are?"

With this declaration, many students stopped and took notice of Duncan, interested in the latest school gossip.

Jean responded to the outburst with a lighthearted tone as she slipped her arms around Scott and he followed suit. "Sorry to disappoint you, Duncan, but you're looking at a bona fide couple here."

A buzz could be heard throughout the small crowd gathered around them, some snickering and others whispering their surprise.

Scott turned his attention to Jean and whispered hopefully. "Really?"

Returning his gaze, she softly said, "One hundred percent yes."

He grinned and leaned down to kiss his new girlfriend, happy this relationship was genuine. The kiss was soft and sweet, lasting only a few moments longer than a kiss in school should.

They had all but forgotten about Duncan until he said, "You deserve each other. The tease and the tightass make a great pair."

"Don't talk to Jean that way," Scott defended, releasing his hold of Jean to go after Duncan.

Without a word, Jean grabbed Scott's arm and held him back. They didn't need a fight at school that would risk exposing their mutations. Duncan certainly wasn't worth it.

Duncan raised his fists. "That's right, Jean, hold Shades back because you know what I'd do to him."

At that statement, a transformation seemed to occur in Duncan. His facial expressions changed from one of anger and resentment to concern and a degree of alarm in a matter of seconds. His eyes widened in shock, and he quickly turned to race away, bumping into any students in his path. Seeing the drama was over, the small crowd of students who'd seen the scene laughed and departed for class.

Returning to Jean's side and pointing his thumb in the general direction of Duncan's departure, Scott said, "What got into him?"

She smiled a knowing smile but shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he got a sudden urge to relieve himself and is running to the nearest bathroom."

Scott laughed. "You never cease to amaze me."

Taking her head in his hands, he stared into her beautiful eyes. Getting lost in her beauty he wished he could substitute his optic mutation for the ability to freeze time, so he could hold onto this moment awhile longer. Knowing that wasn't possible, he leaned in to seize the moment and steal another kiss from his old friend who had just granted him a new beginning.

xxxxx

**Acceptable? Not satisfied yet? Read on for the epilogue!**


	13. Epilogue

**Title: Old Friends with New Beginnings**

**Epilogue **

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; wish I did. 'Nuff said.**

xxxxx

"Hey, are you, like, coming, or what?" Kitty said to Scott and Jean from the kitchen door she'd half phased through. Her unexpected entrance made them jump away from each other for fear that Logan had caught them kissing. Ever since they started dating he'd been convinced they were trying to make out in every room in the mansion, like it was some kind of game.

So what if he was right?

Laughing Jean turned so she could face Kitty. Wrapping a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she said, "You asked for popcorn, didn't you? We're getting it."

She'd been telling the truth, but while they were waiting for the microwave to pop the corn they'd been enjoying each other's company. Scott had come up behind her and massaged her shoulders, sneaking in to kiss her neck at the first opportunity. Even in the dead of winter she smelled like honeysuckle and Spring time. Kitty had bounced in soon afterwards to find them locking lips.

"Since when does it take _two_ people to make popcorn?" Kitty teased, internally grateful the happy pair had worked out their issues.

Jean smiled at Scott, causing him to shrug with a smirk.

Before Kitty could turn to leave, Jean called out to her. "Oh, Kitty, by the way, we were curious on how Duncan found out about Scott and me pretending to date." She raised an eyebrow but continued to smile. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Avoiding eye contact, Kitty replied. "I may have let it slip when I was talking to Lance, but it was totally an accident, I swear – okay, gotta run." With that, she exited by phasing herself through the kitchen door.

"Woah, wait up!" Scott called in vain after her. Turning to Jean he said what he'd hoped to emphasize to Kitty. "She has to be careful what she says, especially to the Brotherhood. We can't have her endangering –"

Placing her fingers to his lips, Jean stopped him. "She knows that. Have faith in her."

Unable to put up a decent argument with Jean touching him, he placed his hand over hers. "You're right."

"I know." Jean's smile reached her eyes. "Now let's go back to our friends."

Grabbing the snacks, they headed into the rec room for another night with the whole gang. The setup was similar to last weekend's Hugh Jackman movie night. Kurt was sitting on the floor next to Evan's chair that he'd staked out early in the evening, claiming it as his own. Rogue had the other chair by the couch where she was talking to Kitty. There was a noticeable difference from last week with the awkwardness and tension lifted from the room.

"Are we ready to finish Heroes?" Jean asked, sitting in the middle of the couch by Scott as she had last week. Although, this time, instead of avoiding his touch, she curled up against him under his arm where it felt like they were made to go together.

"It's about time you tvo got back so ve could finish vatching!" Kurt exclaimed, grabbing the popcorn off the table Jean and Scott had just brought in.

"Thanks to the Brotherhood who made us miss Monday night TV, we now have to catch up," Scott said. "Why they thought it would be a good idea to ransack the grocery store is beyond me."

"The Blob prob'ly was hungry," Rogue said while biting off the Twizzler's in her mouth. "Ah swear the boy could eat half the store in one sittin'. Have you seen him at lunch downin' 'hole trays of food?"

"Eww, that's so gross," Kitty said. "He's such a pig."

Jean stepped up to defend Fred. "Come on, guys, he's not that bad. He's just –"

"Shh!" Kurt interjected, silencing all conversation as he started Tivo and picked up the episode where they'd left off before the craving for popcorn had hit them. Heroes was his favorite show. He always claimed his favorite was Scrubs, but everyone knew the truth.

"Dude, just because you and Hiro have a similar power doesn't make you Hiro. You know that, right?" Evan asked the young man seemingly absorbed in the show. "Kurt?!"

Kurt pulled his attention away from the screen. "Vhat?" he asked, blissfully unaware that his teammates were laughing at him.

"Never mind, man," Evan said with amusement, causing Kurt to focus right back on the TV.

Pointing her finger at the screen, Kitty mused. "You know what these heroes really need to do is band together to fight the OWI."

"OWI?" Scott questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Kitty clarified while grabbing another Twizzler from Rogue's stash. "Yeah, you know, the organization without initials."

Rogue snickered and rolled her eyes. "Oh my Gawd, Kurt's converted her to a hardcore fangirl."

"I totally have not!" Kitty cried, causing all of them to look at her. "Okay, like, maybe a little."

While they were all laughing, Jean looked up at Scott and smiled, happy to be in the arms of her boyfriend enjoying a rare, quiet evening with their friends. Although she hadn't projected her thoughts, Scott could read her facial expression and kissed her forehead as a sign of agreement.

The show continued with constant banter and laughter, much to Kurt's distaste since they distracted him from the TV.

Once Heroes had ended, Jean got up and started to pick up their trash and popcorn bowls. "Would you mind giving me a hand, Scott?"

Without hesitation, Scott agreed and followed her into the kitchen with his hands full. After putting the dishes down in the sink, he began to fill it with soapy water.

Jean came up along his side and put her arms around him, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He smiled and turned into her embrace. "I figured you had an ulterior motive for asking for help. You could have easily used your TK to carry the dishes."

"You saw right through me," she purred, giving him another kiss, this time on the lips. They took their time with this one and let their tongues explore. Enjoying the sensations, neither noticed the kitchen door swing open.

"Get a room!" Evan teased.

Kitty giggled and brought her hands together. "Aww, that's so sweet."

"Gag me," Rogue hissed.

"Woah, I don't need that image in my head!" Kurt declared.

Both young teenagers parted lips but remained in their embrace. As far as they were concerned, the others would have to get used to seeing them together because they planned on staying that way for a long time.

xxxxx

**Done and done. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me in a review if you'd like. To all my loyal readers, thanks for sticking it out with me. It's been a fun ride. I will be back! There are already more fics in the cannon (movieverse this time but still Scott/Jean), but they must wait a few weeks to come out as this is an extremely busy time of year for me. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!**


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